Texas school district sued over e-mail policy
By The Associated Press
08.04.02
DALLAS — A lawsuit was filed last week against a suburban Dallas school district challenging a policy prohibiting employees from using e-mail to communicate religious messages.
The American Center for Law and Justice, based in Virginia Beach, Va., filed the lawsuit Aug. 1 in U.S. District Court in Dallas on behalf of LaDonna DeVore, who works in the administrative offices of the Highland Park Independent School District.
This spring, she sent a message over the district's e-mail system that included a proclamation by President Bush concerning a national day of prayer.
The e-mail was sent to acquaintances within the school system and friends outside the district, according to the suit.
The lawsuit contends that DeVore, a Mesquite resident, was told her April 30 e-mail was inappropriate and warned by school officials that further use of the e-mail system to communicate religious messages could result in suspension of her e-mail privileges.
The complaint says the district allows employees to use the e-mail system to communicate both work-related and private messages.
The district has a communications policy prohibiting "religious worship" or "proselytizing."
"The actions and policy of this school district unfairly single out the religious message for exclusion," said Stuart J. Roth, senior counsel of the ACLJ.
The suit contends that the policy violates the First Amendment and 14th Amendment of the U.S. Constitution. The suit requests that the court find the policy and actions of the school district unconstitutional and requests an injunction to prohibit the school district from continuing to enforce the policy.
The district referred the Associated Press to attorney William Banowsky, who did not immediately return a call for comment.