http://washingtontimes.com/metro/200...4425-5755r.htm

White House steps in on church-school case


By Patrick Badgley
THE WASHINGTON TIMES



The Bush administration is opposing Montgomery County public school
officials' decision to bar a group from sending students home with fliers
promoting an evangelist club.
The Justice Department filed an amicus, or "friend of the court," brief
June 11 supporting the Child Evangelism Fellowship Inc.'s lawsuit against
county school administrators who rejected handbills for the Good News Club,
which offers students a once-a-week Bible study and religious-oriented
recreational activities.
Child Evangelism Fellowship Inc. - which is based in Warrenton, Mo.,
and
oversees the after-school club - tried to send fliers home with elementary
school students at Mill Creek Towne in Rockville and Clearspring in
Damascus.
School officials would not allow the fliers, saying the evangelical
group was trying to force teachers and students to accept "proselytizing
materials." School attorneys have said that distributing the fliers would
violate the Constitution's separation of church and state because the group
aims to have children identify Jesus as their Savior.
Supporters of the group's mission say the school system's keeping the
fliers out of children's backpacks is tantamount to discrimination, because
nonreligious groups with similar activities have been approved to
distribute
promotional fliers.
"This is a service that is widely available to other organizations,"
said Nathan Adams, an attorney for the fellowship. "This is not an instance
where a religious group is seeking special treatment."
The 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Richmond is hearing the
group's
appeal. A lower court, the U.S. District Court for Maryland, ruled against
Child Evangelism Fellowship by not granting a preliminary injunction
against
the Montgomery County school system. The injunction would have required the
schools to distribute the fliers.
"It's clear that the evangelical group is intending to use the fliers
as
a recruiting tool for students to join the group," said school system
spokesman Brian Porter.
The school system is reconsidering its policy for distributing
materials. It is now limited to materials directly related to education and
notices about health, nonprofit groups, community sports and recreation
activities, day care and school-system partnerships.
Justice Department spokesman Jorge Martinez told the Associated Press
the fliers are informational and not recruiting tools.
"The Good News Clubs literature does not proselytize," he said. "It
basically describes what takes place at the meetings, when they are held
and
where."
Child Evangelism Fellowship of Maryland v. Montgomery County School
District is one of several similar cases involving the after-school club
filed across the country. In 2001, the U.S. Supreme Court held that the
Constitution does not prohibit Good News Clubs from meeting in elementary
schools.

On 1 Jul 2003 12:12:14 +0200, (Wilf Kelly) wrote:

LOL, Bush "Junta". Get a life, loser.