Americans United Commends Appellate Court Decision Against Bible Distribution In Mo. Public School

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Americans United for Separation of Church and State today praised a federal appeals court decision barring Bible distribution in a Missouri public school district.

The 8th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled unanimously that the South Iron R-1 School District may not allow distribution of Bibles to children in elementary school.

Americans United, which filed a friend-of-the-court brief in the case, hailed the ruling.

"Parents, not school officials, should make decisions about their children's religious upbringing," said the Rev. Barry W. Lynn, Americans United executive director. "School officials are wrong to allow evangelism by outside groups.

"As a Christian minister, I don't have a problem with the Bible," Lynn continued. "But I do have a big problem with government officials who try to impose religion on school children. They have no right to do that."
http://www.au.org/media/press-releases/archives/2009/07/au-commends-appellate-court.html

Ruling:
http://www.ca8.uscourts.gov/opndir/09/07/081847P.pdf

Panel Judges:
Loken, James B. Nominated by George H.W. Bush on September 10, 1990.
Beam, Clarence Arlen. Nominated by Ronald Reagan on July 1, 1987.
Kyle, Richard House. Nominated by George H.W. Bush on March 20, 1992.

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1. This has went on for 30 years:

For some thirty years, school officials at South Iron Elementary School in Iron
County, Missouri, permitted representatives of Gideons International to distribute
Bibles to fifth grade students in the classroom, during the school day, in the presence
of a teacher or school administrator.

:wow:

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2. The school principal accompanied the Gideons to the classrooms to pass out the Bibles

On October 4, 2005, after
meeting with two Board members, the elementary school principal accompanied two
Gideons to the fifth grade classrooms and observed as the Gideons passed out Bibles.
This lawsuit followed.