Columbine families ask court to uphold ruling in memorial-tile case

By The Associated Press

01.26.02

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DENVER — The families of two students slain at Columbine are asking a federal appeals court to uphold a ruling that the school's ban on tiles they painted with religious symbols violated their First Amendment rights.

The families of students Daniel Rohrbough and Kelly Fleming filed a motion Jan. 22 with the 10th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals seeking affirmation of the decision by a lower court.

U.S. District Judge Wiley Daniel in October ruled that school officials violated the families' First Amendment rights when they refused to hang tiles painted in the students' memory because they had religious references on them. The tiles were among hundreds painted by Columbine students and community members as part of the school's renovation after the April 1999 massacre.

Daniel ordered the school district to hang the tiles with others at Columbine High School.

But the 10th U.S. Circuit of Appeals put the order on hold in November when it agreed to hear the Jefferson County School District's appeal.

The families are asking the appeals court to uphold Daniel's ruling. If it doesn't, the families want the appeals court to allow them to pursue their claim that the school district violated their rights under the Colorado Constitution.

The school district wouldn't hang one tile and removed seven others because they included religious references, which officials said were inappropriate in a school.

School officials said counselors warned the tiles should not be a memorial to the victims, and banned religious symbols, the date of the attack, and names of those killed, though some people painted them anyway.

But lawyers for the families said some tiles with Columbine victims' names and the date of the attack were permitted. Other items in the school, including artwork, contain religious symbols, they said.

Students Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold fatally shot a teacher and 12 students and wounded 23 others before killing themselves.

Update

Appeals court upholds Columbine's ban on religious tiles
10th Circuit overturns federal judge's ruling requiring high school to hang memorial tiles painted by families of two slain students.  06.28.02

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Columbine High wins reprieve in memorial-tile case
Federal appeals court halts ruling that required school to hang religious-themed panels.  11.08.01