When taxpayer and citizen of Stillwater, Oklahoma, Brice Chaffin, attended a Stillwater Public Schools School Board meeting to express his concern over an SPS 'policy' of allowing boys into girl's restrooms during a public comment portion of the meeting where he had 3 minutes to speak, he was removed from the meeting after reading scripture.
Maria Seidler, an attorney with her own group, Legal Overwatch for Parent's School Rights, filed a lawsuit against SPS Board Members based on the Oklahoma Religious Freedom Act, with ROPE on behalf of Brice. The lawsuit was lost at all levels - including the OK Supreme Court. All the lawsuit asked for was for SPS Board Members to make a public apology to Brice for reacting to his comments by directing a police officer to remove him from the podium after he had used scripture in his comments.
Instead of an apology, SPS used 45 THOUSAND taxpayer dollars to fight the lawsuit in court and in appeals. Additionally, SPS's attorneys filed a countersuit against ROPE and Chaffin for attorney's fees. Though the Oklahoma Religious Freedom Act did not prevail in favor of Chaffin's religious commentary, it did prevail in preventing the court from directing ROPE and Chaffin from awarding SPS's attorneys with 45 THOUSAND dollars.
How is it that parents have to hire an attorney with money out of their own budgets to force public schools to treat parents with respect for their religious views or their rights, yet public schools will use taxpayer dollars to fight the religious views and rights of parents with money that was taken from them to fund the school?
When a public entity holds all the cards, it can only be called, TYRANNY.
Maria Seidler, an attorney with her own group, Legal Overwatch for Parent's School Rights, filed a lawsuit against SPS Board Members based on the Oklahoma Religious Freedom Act, with ROPE on behalf of Brice. The lawsuit was lost at all levels - including the OK Supreme Court. All the lawsuit asked for was for SPS Board Members to make a public apology to Brice for reacting to his comments by directing a police officer to remove him from the podium after he had used scripture in his comments.
Instead of an apology, SPS used 45 THOUSAND taxpayer dollars to fight the lawsuit in court and in appeals. Additionally, SPS's attorneys filed a countersuit against ROPE and Chaffin for attorney's fees. Though the Oklahoma Religious Freedom Act did not prevail in favor of Chaffin's religious commentary, it did prevail in preventing the court from directing ROPE and Chaffin from awarding SPS's attorneys with 45 THOUSAND dollars.
How is it that parents have to hire an attorney with money out of their own budgets to force public schools to treat parents with respect for their religious views or their rights, yet public schools will use taxpayer dollars to fight the religious views and rights of parents with money that was taken from them to fund the school?
When a public entity holds all the cards, it can only be called, TYRANNY.
