ACLU sues school district to stop graduation at Conn. church

Two Connecticut high college college students whose district voted to maintain June commencement for two large schools at an region megachurch are suing the district, saying the arrangement "coerces students and mom and dad to receive the overwhelming religious message" of the church since the cost of attending "a seminal event in their lives."

The lawsuit (pdf), filed Wednesday on behalf of two unidentified students and three of their parents by the American Civil Liberties Union and the Washington, D.C.-based Americans United for Separation of Church and State, states the arrangement violates the U.S. Constitution's Establishment Clause along with the state Constitution.

The Enfield, Conn., college board on April 13 reversed a previous choice not to maintain commencement ceremonies at The First Cathedral, a Baptist megachurch in nearby Bloomfield. A handful of other Connecticut districts that had been planning graduation ceremonies there changed their plans last year soon after the ACLU threatened to sue.

The lawsuit states the two Enfield High College seniors "do not subscribe to the Christian religion, and they will be deeply uncomfortable attending graduation inside Cathedral's religious surroundings." They want a judge to stop the graduations from getting location there.

Vincent McCarthy, the college board's attorney, stated he had planned to meet while using plaintiffs' attorneys. He noted that the church's bishop was willing to cover up religious banners that are visible within the sanctuary.

"Basically I told them that the situation was settleable and that all of their complaints will be addressed," McCarthy said. "But they went ahead anyway."

The complaint states that also for the church's "obvious religious messages and symbols," essentially each and every aspect of its architecture "has religious significance," including a lower degree that represents Earth, a middle degree that represents heaven and also a cupola that represents "the throne room of heaven, wherever God is."

McCarthy said the plaintiffs are "basically seeing things how the extremely designer of the church states were by no means intended. … There's so a great deal of it that's just plain false that it's tough to respond to."

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