A Jesus portrait that has hung in a southern Ohio school district’s
buildings since 1947 has been taken down, because of concerns about the
costs of a federal lawsuit.
The superintendent of Jackson City
Schools tells The Associated Press that the decision was made after the
district’s insurance company declined to cover litigation expenses.
He
says a student club that the school says owns the portrait took it down
Wednesday morning at his direction.
The American Civil Liberties
Union and the Freedom from Religion Foundation had sued on behalf of a
student and two parents, calling the portrait an unconstitutional
promotion of religion in a public school.
An ACLU spokesman says the lawsuit remains in effect, but will be dropped if the portrait stays down.