The family of a 6-year-old boy filed suit against the Gresham-Barlow school district, claiming the kindergartner was not allowed to pass out his Christmas cards because the card's message mentioned Jesus.
The suit was filed by The American Center for Law and Justice, a law firm founded by the Rev. Pat Robertson that is representing Julie Cortez and her son, Justin, a student at North Gresham grade school.
The suit, which names the district's superintendent, assistant superintendent and school board members as defendants, was filed Monday in U.S. District Court in Portland.
It charges that when Justin Cortez tried to hand out cards at a Christmas party, the card was taken away from him. According to the suit, the card carried a message suggesting that a candy cane was shaped like a "J" to symbolize Jesus, with the red and white stripes representing Christ's blood and body.
According to the suit, school officials would not allow Justin Cortez to distribute the card because they considered it a possible violation of policies that prohibit school officials from promoting one religion over another.
But the lawyers for the Cortez family contend that the child's rights to freedom of religious speech and equal protection under the law had been violated.
Steve Lewis, the human resources director for the Gresham-Barlow school district, said district officials had not yet seen the lawsuit, and therefore could not comment on it.