By Hayden Haynes, Office of U.S. Rep. Mike Johnson
BATON ROUGE – U.S. Rep. Mike Johnson (R-LA) and Louisiana Attorney General Jeff Landry have released the Louisiana Student Rights Review, a publication that provides guidance on prayer and religious expression in public schools. The resource was created to answer many of the most frequently asked legal questions and misconceptions about religion on campus.
The Louisiana Student Rights Review is available as a free online resource at:http://www.mikejohnsonforlouisiana.com/religious_expression_in_schools. A hard copy of the publication will soon be mailed to all school superintendents throughout the state.
“It is important to remember that our Constitution and laws protect the rights of students to live out their faith on campus,” said Johnson, a member of First Baptist Church, Bossier City. “Religious liberty is the first freedom listed in the Bill of Rights, and the next generation of Americans needs to be encouraged to help preserve it.”
The U.S. Supreme Court acknowledged almost 60 years ago, “The vigilant protection of constitutional freedoms is nowhere more vital than in the community of American schools.”
“Unfortunately, too many people have been misled into believing schools must be religion-free zones when the truth is our First Amendment rights are not surrendered at the school house door,” Landry said. “Congressman Johnson and I hope this publication will help all citizens better understand religious liberty.”
The Louisiana Student Rights Review is divided into three sections summarizing student rights to religious expression, the rights of religious student organizations, and organization involvement and teacher rights.
Johnson, who served as a constitutional law attorney for nearly 20 years prior to being elected to Congress, successfully defended religious freedom in schools and in the public square in landmark cases in Louisiana and nationwide.
