Texas judge rules school nurse's aide can put up her Bible-quoting Linus poster, with one addition
A U.S. stamp from 2015 depicts a scene from A Charlie Brown Christmas. Image from Oldrich / Shutterstock.com.
A judge in Texas has ruled against a school district that ordered a nurse’s aide to take down her poster featuring Linus and his biblical quote from A Charlie Brown Christmas.
Judge Jack Jones of Bell County issued a temporary restraining order Thursday, the Killeen Daily Herald reports. The order bars the school district in Killeen, Texas, from taking down the poster created by middle school employee Dedra Shannon, as long as she adds one statement to the poster. The poster currently reads: “For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior which is Christ the Lord. That’s what Christmas is all about, Charlie Brown.”
The new statement must read, “Ms. Shannon’s Christmas message,” and the lettering should be as large as the other words on the poster, according to the Killeen Daily Herald.
Jones ruled in a suit filed by Texas Values on Shannon’s behalf. The suit (PDF) claimed the school district had misinterpreted the state’s Merry Christmas Law, which bars school holiday displays with messages that encourage adherence to a particular religious belief.
“Quoting a statement from a cartoon character that happens to include portions of a Bible verse is not sufficient to qualify as ‘encouragement’ to adhere to the Christian religion,” the suit said. The suit also alleged violations of the Texas Constitution.
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton also appeared on Shannon’s behalf, according to a Texas Values press release. Shannon has put the poster back up on the door of the nurse’s office.
The Killeen Independent School District issued a statement saying it supports Jones’ decision. “We believe that directing the individual to include the additional text better complies with state and federal law. We support this decision,” the district said.
Related article:
ABAJournal.com: “Texas AG interprets state’s Merry Christmas Law in dispute over school employee’s poster”
