District Bows to Atheist Group's Demands, Removes 10 Commandments Displays From Public Schools

Photo Credit: AP

The Breathitt County School District in Kentucky has removed long-standing Ten Commandments displays in local public schools.

The move comes after the Freedom From Religion Foiundation (FFRF), an atheist and church-state separatist group, sent a letter complaining over the presence of the religious documents.

According to the FFRF, a tipster alerted the group that the Ten Commandments were displayed inside numerous classrooms in the high school, middle school and elementary schools, WKYT-TV reports.

After receiving this information, the group, famous for going after perceived violations of the First Amendment, petitioned the school district to remove these religious elements. Following the furor, the displays were taken down this week; the complaint claims that they had been hanging for many years inside the schools.

Here's how the Kentucky Board of Education responded to the incident:

"The display of religious materials, such as a painting of a religious figure or a copy of the Ten Commandments, in a public school violates the U.S. Constitution's prohibition on the establishment or endorsement of religion by a public agency. A school or district that displays copies of the Ten Commandments without the inclusion of other historical documents and not as part of a historical/comparative display is in violation of the U.S. Constitution. See the U.S. Supreme Court's holding on this issue in Stone v. Graham, 449 U.S. 39, 101 S.Ct. 192 (1980). The Kentucky Department of Education's focus in Breathitt County is on student achievement and college and career readiness and using its resources to support those efforts."

Thus, it seems atheists and the FFRF have won this round of debate, as district officials are complying with the mandate.

(H/T: WKYT-TV)

--

Other Must-Read Stories:

• Hollywood Actor Takes Aim at Gun Control, Gun Buybacks on Twitter
• Biden Warns of Using AR-15s for Home Defense in Odd MSNBC Appearance: ‘It Can Kill Your Kid in the Bedroom’
• What a Dentist Allegedly Did to This Man’s Teeth Will Likely Leave You Speechless: ‘I Am Going to Look Like a Freak Now’
• Investigation Reveals: Mo. Highway Patrol Gave Feds Confidential List of Concealed Carry Gun Permit Holders
• Rev. Jeremiah Wright’s Daughter Indicted on Charges of Money Laundering and Fraud — Here Are the Details