Nashville, USA - A federal judge in Nashville will issue a written ruling in a lawsuit that claims the Wilson County schools wrongly restricted Christian students' free speech rights.
The suit, brought by a group called Praying Parents, was heard by Senior U.S. District Judge Robert Echols. He did not advise when he would rule.
During testimony, school officials said they didn't order that phrases including "In God We Trust" be covered up on posters promoting a "See You at the Pole" prayer event in September at Lakeview Elementary School.
Assistant Principal Bertie Alligood testified that she told the group the posters weren't acceptable and thought the parents were making new ones.
Two years prior to the event, a federal judge ruled that the school district was favoring the religious-based parent group over other members of the community.
"I knew we'd been involved in another lawsuit, and I knew it cost the school system a lot of money, so I wanted to be very careful," Alligood said.
The previous suit was brought against the Wilson County School Board by the American Civil Liberties Union of Tennessee, which argued the school board inappropriately promoted religion.
At issue was the Praying Parents group, which met on campus and handed out notes telling students that they had been prayed for. Echols found the school board had given Praying Parents preferential treatment and ordered the board to pay $171,000 for the plaintiffs' legal fees.