9/19/2005

See You at the Pole

Religious Expression & Access Issues in Public Schools

In 1992, students at a middle school and a high school in Corpus Christi, Texas, assembled one morning at 7:00 a.m. at their respective schools' flagpoles to pray for their fellow students, their teachers and their school. Upon their arrival at the poles, however, the students were met by school administrators, who theatened the students with disciplinary action if they did not disperse and told them their attempts to meet were illegal due to school policy and the religious nature of the rallies. With the assistance of The Rutherford Institute, sixteen students and their parents joined to sue the school district for violating their rights to free speech, assembly, and religious expression under the U.S. and Texas Constitutions. While the case settled prior to trial, the school agreed not to restrict students' rights to speech, expression and assembly in the future, particularly as such restrictions would adversely affect "See You at the Pole" rallies.

Click here to read our See You at the Pole booklet and learn more about your rights.