A North Carolina valedictorian boldly took the stage during his high school graduation and told attendees all about his faith after his school district had attempted to censor his remarks about God and Jesus Christ.
Liberty Counsel, a non-profit legal, group released a redacted letter they sent to a high school student who was seeking legal advice after he submitted his speech to the school district.
According to his attorneys, the valedictorian speech addressed the adversity he has faced in his life due to several medical conditions and how Jesus helped him to overcome those challenges.
In part of his speech, the valedictorian said, “I want to thank my Lord Jesus Christ for getting me through because if it weren’t for Him, I don’t know how I would’ve gotten through life…Jesus Christ has always loved me.”
The speech also gave appropriate credit to his parents, and teachers, as well as challenged his classmates to be a good influence in the lives of other people.
The speech was submitted to a school administrator who struck through several instances where the name of God was mentioned, deleted the phrase, “I want to thank my Lord Jesus Christ for getting me through, because if it weren’t for Him,” and removed “Jesus Christ.”
School staff had contended the reason the district originally censored his speech was because of the “separation of church and state.”
However, Liberty Counsel wrote in its advice letter, that legal precedents show that personal religious expression is not a “First Amendment orphan,” and religious speech from graduating high school seniors is just as protected as their secular speech.
“Recent Supreme Court cases have conclusively held that the Establishment Clause does not permit censorship of private religious speech. Such attempts are improper and violate the First Amendment. The U.S. Supreme Court has held that private speech is protected; it is only government speech endorsing religion that is prohibited by the Establishment Clause,” Liberty Counsel explained.
Attorneys with the non-profit legal group advised the student to have administrators reconsider his speech.
“A high school valedictorian’s voluntary references to his faith in God or Jesus Christ in his graduation speech are all protected by the United States Constitution. Voluntary student religious expression, including student graduation messages or graduation prayer, may not be censored by school officials,” they wrote to the student.
The student’s appeal was granted and he was able to share his original speech with his graduating class and those who attended the graduation ceremony.
According to the valedictorian, after the speech both the school staff were touched by his heartfelt remarks and one teacher expressed her approval because he stood firm in the face of pressure to change them.
“The valedictorian’s respectful approach to correcting the administrators’ constitutional errors resulted in an uncensored, faith-filled graduation speech. Voluntary references to God or Jesus Christ in a graduation speech are all protected by the First Amendment and may not be censored by school officials,” said Liberty Counsel Founder and Chairman Mat Staver.
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