A high school band in Brandon, Mississippi, has been told to stop playing religious music during its half-time performance.
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School leaders have said they were only following a court order handed down to them.
A Mississippi school district had just been through some serious gavel pounding from a federal judge – including a $7,500 fine – and didn’t want any more problems.
Parent Kimberly Moore told the station numerous bad things that happen in schools might be caused by the fact that government keeps God out of schools. “150 plus band members, workers are being stripped of their first amendment rights”, said parent, Kristina Reynolds.
“The Rankin County School Board and District Office are very saddened students will not be able to perform their halftime show they have worked so hard on this summer”, the district wrote in a statement. May God bless you! The order stems from a lawsuit filed by a student, Magdalene Bedi, over the high number of Christian-themed assemblies and prayers being held at the public school campus, according to ABC13.
“If “How Great Thou Art” is banned, does that mean “God bless America” is off limits as well?” “I don’t see this particularly as persecution of Christianity from the school board”. I don’t know whether any Rankin County School District employees participated in that singing.
The judge also threatened to fine the school $10,000 should there be another occurrence.
But when fans, including adults and students, learned that the performance of the Christian hymn had been canceled, they chose to perform it themselves. “At first, it started out as a hum but the sound got louder and louder”. The Salvation Army Band played “How Great Thou Art” and the song title was written on the back of several cars.
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“My daughter attended the Rankin County School District Schools in 2008, came home with a Bible in her bookbag, and the Americans United for the Separation of Church and State sent a letter to the school district on my behalf in 2008”, Ellis said.
