Education

School’s Painting of Jesus Barred

By Ellen Flax — September 05, 1990 1 min read
  • Save to favorites
  • Print

A federal judge has ordered the Schuylerville (N.Y.) Central School District to remove a painting of a crucified Jesus that has been hanging in a high-school auditorium for 25 years.

In his decision last week, U.S. District Judge Howard G. Munson found that the 12-foot-by-16-foot painting by a former student violated the constitutional separation between church and state because it conveyed “a message of government endorsement of Christianity.”

The suit was filed by the state chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union last September on behalf of two parents, Robert and Susan Joki, who said they felt “discomfort” whenever they entered the auditoOne parent is Jewish, and they are rearing their two children, who attend school in the district, as Jews, the suit said.

School officials in Schuylerville, which is about 45 miles north of Albany, said they displayed the painting as an example of student artwork, and that religious content played no part in their decision.

Donald Hickman, the district’s interim superintendent, said the painting and all other contents of the auditorium had been removed in early August for a renovation project. He said the school board would discuss whether to appeal the ruling at a meeting later this month.

A version of this article appeared in the September 05, 1990 edition of Education Week as School’s Painting of Jesus Barred

Events

Ed-Tech Policy Webinar Artificial Intelligence in Practice: Building a Roadmap for AI Use in Schools
AI in education: game-changer or classroom chaos? Join our webinar & learn how to navigate this evolving tech responsibly.
Education Webinar Developing and Executing Impactful Research Campaigns to Fuel Your Ed Marketing Strategy 
Develop impactful research campaigns to fuel your marketing. Join the EdWeek Research Center for a webinar with actionable take-aways for companies who sell to K-12 districts.
This content is provided by our sponsor. It is not written by and does not necessarily reflect the views of Education Week's editorial staff.
Sponsor
Privacy & Security Webinar
Navigating Cybersecurity: Securing District Documents and Data
Learn how K-12 districts are addressing the challenges of maintaining a secure tech environment, managing documents and data, automating critical processes, and doing it all with limited resources.
Content provided by Softdocs

EdWeek Top School Jobs

Teacher Jobs
Search over ten thousand teaching jobs nationwide — elementary, middle, high school and more.
View Jobs
Principal Jobs
Find hundreds of jobs for principals, assistant principals, and other school leadership roles.
View Jobs
Administrator Jobs
Over a thousand district-level jobs: superintendents, directors, more.
View Jobs
Support Staff Jobs
Search thousands of jobs, from paraprofessionals to counselors and more.
View Jobs

Read Next

Education Briefly Stated: March 13, 2024
Here's a look at some recent Education Week articles you may have missed.
9 min read
Education Briefly Stated: February 21, 2024
Here's a look at some recent Education Week articles you may have missed.
8 min read
Education Briefly Stated: February 7, 2024
Here's a look at some recent Education Week articles you may have missed.
8 min read
Education Briefly Stated: January 31, 2024
Here's a look at some recent Education Week articles you may have missed.
9 min read