Family Life

07.04.11 | Sarah Harnisch

Officials in the Santa Rosa County, Florida School District have agreed to gut an ACLU-inspired decree they imposed on students and faculty several years ago. It means they'll have to pay a couple hundred thousand dollars in settlement fees. But school administrators said sticking to the rules the group won in court just wasn't worth it. The decree was pretty incredible. Ordinary phrases like "God Bless" were banned from their campuses. Teachers and staff were "on duty" no matter where they were or when, as long as any student was present-- even if they were at their own church services. Teachers were praying in closets to avoid fines. They weren't even allowed to hit 'reply' if an e-mail from a parent mentioned God or said 'God bless you' -- or have a bible sitting on their desk. The settlement concludes a two-year court battle that threatened religious freedoms of Americans everywhere.