The superintendent of the Wayne County (W.Va.) School District will ensure that religious messages are not put on school marquees after the Freedom From Religion Foundation wrote a letter notifying her of one such marquee and informing her of the constitutional problems it posed.
Buffalo Elementary School had displayed the message “WISE MEN STILL SEEK HIM” around Christmas time. Staff Attorney Patrick Elliott wrote to the district superintendent on December 31, 2013, stating that “to avoid continuing to violate the Establishment Clause, Wayne County Schools must immediately remove the religious message from the Buffalo Elementary marquee.”
“Considering the very young age of the students, concern over coercive religious displays should be especially high in elementary schools like Buffalo,” Elliott said.
Superintendent Lynn Hurt responded on Jan. 3, informing FFRF that she had notified the principal to remove the sign, and that the school district attorney “will prepare a notice for all of our principals and share it with them at their monthly meeting about this situation.”
