That's the question posed by a new ACLU lawsuit, challenging an Alachua County Schools (FL) ban on a t-shirt reading "Islam is the Devil" sponsored by a local evangelical church. The Gainesville Sun has more:
Attorneys for the ACLU said at issue is whether school officials may lawfully permit what they consider to be "positive" messages about religion, faith or other matters while prohibiting what they consider to be "negative" messages about those same matters.
The messages printed on the front of the shirts – "Jesus answered, 'I am the way and the truth and the life. No on goes to the Father except through me,'" and "I stand in truth with Dove World Outreach Center" – was allowed by the school district.
In addition, students and adults wearing the shirts also were asked to leave a high school football game after a student complained that he became fearful of rising tension.
School officials have the right to enact rules for the sake of avoiding educational disturbance, and avoiding tension that could escalate to violence. Those rules, however, should be applied even-handedly. Does that mean, though, that all negative messages must be allowed if any positive messages are allowed?
You can read the ACLU complaint here (pdf).
