Students in the Kountze ISD are fighting for the right to display religious messages at school-sponsored events.
Their effort does have some fundamental case law that could arise in the matter.
Santa Fe, Texas v. Doe in 2000 - The U.S. Supreme Court ruled student-lead prayers before football games were unconstitutional because they were at a school sponsored event.
In a case in Fort Oglethorpe, Georgia cheerleaders were banned from creating signs for football players to run through -- and a court ruled it was unconstitutional, state- sponsored religious speech. Parents and fans reacted by flooding the stands with their own scriptural references on signs.
Tinker v. Des Moines ISD - Student expression was declared constitutional in a case that actually involved students who wore black armbands to disapprove of the Vietnam War. The U.S. Supreme Court has applied the 1969 ruling in other student cases and ruled
that school officials can only restrict student speech if it quote "materially or substantially disrupts school discipline."
Pounds v. Katy ISD may be applied from only two years ago. In that case, the 5th Circuit Court of Appeals upheld references to Jesus on Katy elementary school Christmas cards - ruling that the "speech" was student initiated.
