Student Files Federal Lawsuit Against Art Teacher For Censoring Religious Drawing

A senior student at Tomah High School in Madison, Wisconsin has filed a federal lawsuit against his art teacher contending his constitutional rights were violated when the teacher refused to accept a drawing because it bore a religious connotation.    

Students in the art class were given an assignment to draw a landscape but when the senior turned in his work the teacher noticed the drawing had a cross and the biblical reference “John 3:16 A sign of love.” The teacher asked him to remove the biblical reference after several complaints from those in the class but the student refused and was given a zero for the assignment.

According to a class policy students were prohibited from depicting any blood, sexual connotations or religious beliefs in artwork. Each student was required to sign that policy.

When Julie Millin, the art teacher at Tomah High School, presented the student with his signed policy he took the paper and ripped it up. He was then given two detentions for that act.

The lawsuit claims that while other students were allowed to include “demonic” images in their drawings the landscape with a cross and biblical reference was unfairly singled out. David Cortman, an attorney with the Alliance Defense Fund, a Christian legal advocacy group representing the student, said “where is the tolerance for religious beliefs? The whole purpose of art is to reflect your own personal experience. To tell a student his religious beliefs can legally be censored sends the wrong message."

Included in the lawsuit are allegations that the school openly displays art work featuring other religious beliefs.

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