After This Christian Valedictorian Began to Talk About Jesus, the School Correctly Shut Off His Mic

[SecularMotion]

As far as the law goes, Costner’s actions were probably legal. He turned in a copy of his speech to the administrators. The administrators approved it. And when Costner went up on stage, he ripped up the prepared speech and did his own thing. You can’t blame the school for that.

My concern was that Christians may have found a loophole allowing them to pray at graduation. Sure, it would require them to lie to administrators first, but Christians have never really had a problem with lying for the Lord.

It’s not surprising that another student would take a similar approach and use the time onstage to talk about God, but one school district in Texas has found a brilliant way to respond.

Remington Reimer was the valedictorian at Joshua High School and, just like Roy Costner, he strayed from his prepared, submitted remarks to talk about Jesus.

http://www.patheos.com/blogs/friendlyatheist/2013/06/08/after-this-christian-valedictorian-began-to-talk-about-jesus-the-school-correctly-shut-off-his-microphone/

[ZombieHorde]

1. They both did the right thing.

If someone strongly feels they need to say something, then I think they should say it. The student was very rude, and a false witness, but he said what he felt needed to be said.

All that said, I'm glad the school shut his mic off.

[goldent]

2. Oh Happy Day! nt

[NaturalHigh]

3. Actually, I'm offended that students must have pre-approved speeches.

[LostOne4Ever]

8. They are representing the school (state) and talking to a captive audience

It makes complete sense that they should have to be pre-approved.

[NaturalHigh]

14. My best friend in high school was valedictorian.

His speech wasn't pre-approved.

[Warren Stupidity]

4. I am fine with assholes exercising their free speech.

Costner is not a public official. He can utter any nonsense he wants. Obviously the school thought different, I disagree with that.

[longship]

5. Apparently not in this context.

I made the same mistake as you did on another post on this very topic.

The student does not have a right and that has been upheld by SCOTUS.

Cole v Oroville

Maybe you weren't aware of this, just like I wasn't.

[Leontius]

9. This only applies to courts in the Ninth Circuit

The Supreme Court refused to hear the appeal they did not offer a ruling.

[longship]

10. Didn't SCOTUS let the opinion stand?

That says something.

It's like the Kitzmiller v Dover case. Only heard by federal court in PA. But it killed explicit teaching of Intelligent Design in public schools nationwide. And it was never even appealed to the appellate court, IIRC.

One doesn't have to have a SCOTUS opinion to have national reach.

Of course, technically you are correct about the legal scope of the ruling.

[Leontius]

11. Still not binding in all circuits they may or may not rule the same or give it precedence.

I think the Fifth Circuit has ruled differently in a similar case. I don't know why the Supreme Court did not hear the case I think it was without comment. It could have settled the issue nationally if it chose to.

[longship]

12. Hmm. If there are discrepancies between districts.

I am surprised that SCOTUS didn't take it.

Oh well.

Thanks for the info.

[goldent]

17. It's not quite that simple

The court ruled that the school has the right and the duty to suppress religion in any pre-approved speech.

I don't believe the court addressed any "non-approved" speech by a student speaker or any other random student who decides to make a statement at the ceremony (I have seen that now and then). At that point they have as much right as anyone else in a public gathering - i.e. they could be just left to speak their mind, could be thrown out, etc. Certainly any student or audience member who does this is speaking on their own behalf.

[longship]

21. The issue was the graduation.

The ceremony gave the student's speech sanction and therefore was coercive.

Click the link in my post.

[skepticscott]

15. He is acting as a representative of the government

at a government sponsored function, so no, he can't utter any nonsense he wants. If he wants free speech, he can exercise it in the parking lot after the ceremony, but he is not entitled to this particular platform unrestricted.

[Warren Stupidity]

16. I totally disagree.

A private citizen at a public event, even if he is being honored is not a government functionary and is not constrained be separation considerations. The principal is, the student isn't.

[skepticscott]

19. It is not a matter of his being honored

and he does not have to be a "functionary". By your logic, schools and government in general could circumvent ANY restrictions on promotion of religion at government sponsored events simply by bringing in someone who is not paid by the government to do the talking. The law doesn't allow that, nor should it. Those people still represent the government in that limited context, and the captive audience can reasonably be expected to take what is said as the position being promoted by the government. Religious advocacy cannot be part of that position under the law.

[Warren Stupidity]

20. You are describing a deliberate attempt to evade church state separation

By a school administration. That is not the same situation at all. This was not an attempt by a government organization to promote religion, it was an individual exercising his free speech rights at a public function. Is there overlap? Yes of course, if the school administration was complicit in using valedictorian speeches to promote religion, that would cross the line. But that was not this case.

[goldent]

18. "He is acting as a representative of the government"

This isn't the case. The school admin is though, so *IF* the school admin decides to review and approve the speech, then the court has said they have the right and duty to suppress any religious stuff.

[TlalocW]

6. Huh...

Back in the day (1991), I didn't have to give a copy of my co-valedictorian speech to the school... I didn't have one. I just went up there and winged it. My class wasn't worth the effort of writing something. One of my sisters even suggested reading the congratulations paragraph that was in all of our mortar board hats, which I did.

TlalocW

[NoOneMan]

7. Good. Thats boring

Most those kids are thinking about getting laid and screwed up after the ceremony. Don't piss on their special parade day.

[rug]

13. They cut the mic because his comments were not pre-approved.

Just to be clear: The school didn’t cut off his microphone because he was talking about God. They cut off his microphone because he was talking about something different than what he promised to say. They would have done the same thing to any student who went off-script to talk about atheism, abortion, President Obama, or Game of Thrones, too.

It has nothing to do with religion. It's a free speech issue. It is chilling to applaud the administrators' actions.