The following statement was submitted to CBN News by Greg Gaarder, Tomah School District Business Manager, in response to the law suit filed for violation of constitutional rights:

The Tomah Area School District has been made aware of a federal lawsuit that concerns religious expression by one of its students. The District does not discriminate based on students' religious beliefs and will vigorously defend itself against the charges in the complaint.

The District is a Wisconsin public school district and respects all students' religious beliefs. However, respect for the beliefs of a diverse student population in our public schools requires that the District treat all students equitably and fairly, regardless of their faith. The District also must exercise extreme caution to ensure that it does not appear to be endorsing particular religious viewpoints over others that may also be held by students. These are our responsibilities as a public school.

To meet our responsibilities, students are required to follow the rules of conduct for their classrooms and the instructions that their teachers give them for class assignments. While the District respects all students' religious freedoms, those freedoms are not a license for students to force the school to display religious messages of their choosing or to force the school to accept schoolwork that deliberately defies the rules of the class and the requirements of the assignment.

Our School District and its teachers will continue to provide a learning environment that respects the beliefs of all of our students.