Audio By Carbonatix
Independent Journalism in Dallas Needs You
We need to raise $12,500 by August 9 to support the reporting our community depends on. Reader support keeps us independent and is playing a larger role in funding local journalism and shaping what comes next. If you believe independent local journalism matters, make a contribution today.
Midlothian ISD Superintendent Jerome Stewart said Thursday that two overtly Christian plaques attached to elementary schools would remain uncovered for the time being. The plaques, which have adorned the schools for 17 without complaint, are the subject of a June 30 letter to the district from the Freedom from Religion Foundation, which wants them removed.
The district, advised by its attorneys that it would lose any lawsuit regarding the plaques, covered them with duct tape and prepared for their being replaced as the new school year began. Wednesday, the district posted a notice on its website that the plaques had been uncovered, but the district was “unsure who uncovered them” and had “no plans to recover them.”
At a brief news conference, Stewart said, “As a District employee, my personal beliefs and opinions in this constitutional matter must be secondary to the current interpretation of the law of the land.”
Thursday afternoon, after a second day of protests by parents, Stewart reiterated that the plaques would be left uncovered. He also said that Midlothian ISD would seek additional legal council as necessary.
We left a message with Midlothian ISD’s communication to try to confirm our suspicions that Stewart’s statements mean the plaques will stay until someone actually sues the district, but it’s yet to be returned.
