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School bans disabled talent show boy from singing and dancing to song about Jesus because it was 'too religious'

By Mark Duell
Last updated at 2:20 PM on 22nd March 2011

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* But district changed song choice policy after lawsuit was filed
* Story parallels Glee religious episode 'Grilled Cheesus'

A disabled boy was banned from performing a Christian song in a talent show by his school because of its religious content, a lawsuit claims.

Jerilyn Shubert, Superior Street Elementary School principal in Chatsworth, California, allegedly told the mother of the cerebral palsy sufferer that the lyrics were ‘offensive’.

She said the fifth-grader should choose a less religious song - but the school district has backed down after a lawsuit said the boy’s First Amendment rights were violated.
Banned: Jerilyn Shubert, Superior Street Elementary School principal in California, allegedly told the fifth-grade boy's mother that the song lyrics were 'offensive'

Banned: Jerilyn Shubert, Superior Street Elementary School principal in California, allegedly told the fifth-grade boy's mother that the song lyrics were 'offensive'

The boy auditioned for last month’s talent show by dancing to his favourite tune, 'We Shine', but his mother was told by Mrs Shubert that he should change the song, it said.

She asked if he could pick another song that ‘does not say Jesus so many times’ as the lyrics were ‘offensive’ and a violation of the ‘separation of church and state’.


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But a lawsuit from Christian legal group the Alliance Defense Fund on behalf of the boy prompted the district to change its policy, reported Fox News and Charisma.

The boy was eventually allowed to perform the song at the talent show in February.
Parallels: The story is reminiscent of a Glee episode when atheist cheerleading coach Sue Sylvester is unhappy at the club singing religious songs

Parallels: The story is reminiscent of a Glee episode when atheist cheerleading coach Sue Sylvester is unhappy at the club singing religious songs
WE SHINE: By Steve Fee

Yeah, yeah, we shine, we shine, in the light of God
And when we speak, we speak with words of love
And when we dance, we may get a little wild
Cause we're the people of God, yeah, the people of God

When we sing, we sing, the angel's songs
The ones they're singing around the throne
Yeah, yeah, we worship the King with everything that we are
Cause we're the people of God, yeah, the people of God

The story is reminiscent of an episode from television series Glee called 'Grilled Cheesus', which focusses on religion and what God means to members of the high school club.

Athiest cheerleading coach Sue Sylvester is unhappy at the club singing religious songs in a public school setting and gets a member to make a formal complaint.

Superior Street principal Mrs Shubert was acting on behalf of the Parent-Teacher Association, who sponsored the show and thought the song might be inappropriate, a district spokesman said.

The district guidance now says: ‘Student speakers at student assemblies and extracurricular activities such as sporting events or talent shows may not be selected on a basis that either favours or disfavours religious speech.’
About turn: The school district changed its policy on song choice after a lawsuit was filed on the boy's behalf by Christian legal group the Alliance Defense Fund

About turn: The school district changed its policy on song choice after a lawsuit was filed on the boy's behalf by Christian legal group the Alliance Defense Fund

The Alliance Defense Fund (ADF) has filed a voluntary dismissal of the lawsuit following the policy change by the Los Angeles Unified School District.

‘Christian students shouldn’t be censored at public schools just because district officials consider religious speech to be offensive,’ an ADF spokesman said.

‘The school district is doing the right thing by changing its policy to protect students’ constitutionally protected rights so that censorship of religious speech no longer occurs during student activities.’

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article ... esus.html#

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