[NYTr] Colorado: Atheist Family Sues School over "Popular Program"

[All the News That Doesn't Fit]

CBS 4 TV - Denver - Oct 16, 2007
http://cbs4denver.com/local/local_story_289231342.html

Atheist Family Sues School Over Popular Program

Cherry Creek School District Program Under Fire

Raj Chohan reporting

(CBS4) DENVER A popular program in the Cherry Creek School District has
come under fire from atheists. The group called the Freedom from
Religion Foundation has filed a lawsuit claiming the school district is
promoting religion.

A lawsuit, filed in federal court, claims the school district is
violating the constitutional separation of church and state.

The Freedom from Religion Foundation and an atheist family claim the
program, called 40 Developmental Assets, encourages religion over
non-religion.

"A public school system shouldn't be recommending students go to church
or not go to church," said Bob Tiernan, attorney for the atheist
family. "That's an individual decision made by parents and children."

The program promotes things like family support, positive peer
influence and doing homework.

But the part of the program in contention is titled "Religious
Community." It says "young person spends one or more hours per week in
activities in a religious institution."

Tiernan said it makes atheists feel like outsiders.

"By the government telling them that because they're atheists, there's
something wrong with them, they're outsiders," he said. "Any number of
things that the government is doing that makes them feel like they
don't belong."

Cherry Creek schools said it has no intention of changing the way it
runs the program. Officials say it's voluntary and the religious
component is just a small part of a bigger picture. They believe it
will pass constitutional muster.

"These are suggestions for families. We don't compel families to follow
any of the suggestions or guidelines in there," Tustin Amole with
Cherry Creek schools said. "These are ways that research has found that
communities can empower children to do well in school and to do well in
life."

The school district said the program has been running for more than 18
years and this is the first time anyone has complained.

"We are confident that we are well within the guideline of the Supreme
Court's ruling and we expect that we will prevail," Amole said.

The family that filed the lawsuit did not want to be identified.