Thursday afternoon Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton issued a temporary restraining order against Killeen ISD's decision to take down a nurse's aide's "A Charlie Brown Christmas" decoration.
In a statement, Paxton said:
"Religious discrimination towards Christians has become a holiday tradition of among certain groups. I am glad to see that the court broke through the left’s rhetorical fog and recognized that a commitment to diversity means protecting everyone’s individual religious expression.”
Thursday morning, Paxton intervened into a lawsuit filed on behalf of nurse’s aide Dedra Shannon against Killeen Independent School District over its decision to take down her Charlie Brown Christmas decorations.
“Once again, public schools have decided that their commitment to diversity does not extend to Christians,” Attorney General Paxton said. “Neither faculty nor students shed their constitutional rights when they step inside the schoolhouse door. The law in fact encourages school districts to take an inclusive approach to religious and secular celebrations that are both respectful and accepting of different viewpoints. Killeen ISD made a clear legal error when it decided it had to censor staff member Dedra Shannon’s Christmas decoration simply because it incorporated some religious terminology."
The decorations were at Patterson Middle School. The staff member posted door decorations featuring a religious quote from a popular Christmas cartoon before the principal asked her to remove it. Many parents weren't happy about the school's decision.
Killeen ISD released a statement saying that the Bell County 146th District Court ruled that for the decoration to be displayed, "Ms. Shannon's Christmas Message" must be added.
"We believe that directing the individual to include the additional text better complies with state and federal law," said the district.
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