March 22, 2010 in Region

Court: Everett student can’t sue over ‘Ave Maria’ ban

Associated Press

WASHINGTON — The U.S. Supreme Court will not let an Everett high school student sue because school officials refused to let her play an instrumental version of “Ave Maria” at her graduation.

The high court on Monday refused to hear an appeal from Kathryn Nurre. She wanted to play “Ave Maria” — Hail Mary in Latin — with the band’s wind ensemble at the Henry M. Jackson High School graduation in 2006.

The Everett school refused to let them perform the song, saying a similar religious-themed song had already gotten complaints.

Nurre sued, but the federal courts threw out the lawsuit. Judges said it was reasonable for a school official to prohibit the performance of an obviously religious piece.

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15 comments on this story so far. Add yours!

PhiltheBibliophil on March 22 at 7:57 a.m.
Somehow I don’t think “Scoop” Jackson would be at all happy about this! Just shows the complete breakdown of anything to do with American Life!
misjustice on March 22 at 8:22 a.m.
NO, it shows the adherence to the separation of church and state…all you bible thumpers need to stop trying to cram your fairy tales down everyone elses throats.
Religion is the opiate of the masses; and I don’t need fairy tales and fantasies of a reward in the “after life” to keep me in line, keep me complacent, docile, and unable to think for myself.
Public schools exist for ALL students, not just the bible thumpers or the koran thumpers or the torah thumpers; and if the school district starts allowing religious propaganda to be publicly aired then who decides which fairy tale diety is allowed to be represented? Oh, and should the religious crap be permitted,then the wackadoodle religious wars will errupt; my fake diety is bigger than your fake diety….yawn!
Yeah, religious wingnuts believe that the earth is only 2,000 years old and that Jesus wrote the constitution; but they are incorrect on both counts! And they are wrong on this story also. The school district and the courts made the right decision!
As much as the religious wingnuts have a right to their fairy tales, I have a right to FREEDOM FROM religion especially in a public school setting funded by my tax dollars…enough said!
CharlesBillford on March 22 at 8:23 a.m.
American Life? Whats that? She could have just mimed it.
Albert on March 22 at 8:31 a.m.
Msjustice, I sincerely grieve for you.
Charlie on March 22 at 8:39 a.m.
Amen Albert!
misjustice on March 22 at 8:40 a.m.
I don’t need your tender sentiments Mr. Albert or Mr. Charlie but thank you just the same! : )
cowboy on March 22 at 10:25 a.m.
Who is to say the music was religious? Isn’t that discrimination?
flutieflakes on March 22 at 11:02 a.m.
Cowboy- “Ave Maria” is a musical rendition of the Hail Mary, probably the second most-recited prayer for Catholics, behind the Our Father.
That being said, it is a beautiful song, and when done right can bring me to tears. This is where I have a tough time with this “separation of church and state” in schools. While I don’t want the public school system to indoctrinate my kids into any specific church, there are certain instances where it does do them a disfavor to withhold that information. There is no way that you can give an accurate account of European History in the classroom without discussing Catholicism and other forms of Christianity. It has just been too intertwined within the societies and histories of the various cultures over there. Pick a piece of art, music or literature written in Europe over the past 2000 years, and there’s a good chance that Christianity had some sort of influence on it (good or bad). Same with having a discussion on India, and not bringing up Hinduism. You’re just not painting a complete, accurate picture.
Religion has been, and will continue to be, a driving force in world cultures. There are ways to inform our kids about this without necessarily turning them all into a bunch of bible-thumping Jesus freaks.
BigE on March 22 at 11:47 a.m.
Misjustice stands right up, I commend her, at least she has an opinion. I lived in Utah for 8 years, there is no seperation of church and state, you can comment only if you have lived there or you are LDS, hypocrits all of them.
PlanB on March 22 at 12:09 p.m.
A victory for liberty and fundamental American values, even for those who can’t recognize it as such.
Mr_Bloggy on March 22 at 12:38 p.m.
Although keeping Jesus out of schools and government only condemns this nation of sinners and unbelievers to an eternal conflagration of unspeakable torment, the fact this was a latin phrase used by Roman Catholics to summon their favorite witches and demons makes it acceptable to a God-fearing Baptist like myself.
Glory!
spokanada on March 22 at 1:14 p.m.
msjustice, it’s a shame that most of the people who disagree with you would most likely have a serious problem if a muslim prayer was allowed to be recited at a graduation ceremony.
Keep up the good work.
misjustice on March 22 at 1:22 p.m.
Thanks, spokanda; that was a large part of my point. Hence my reference to the koran… ; )
mikeln on March 22 at 2:17 p.m.
Religious ideaologies, political ideaologies,all the same wolf in different clothing
Not_woriking on March 22 at 2:21 p.m.
What part of “separation of church and state” do some of these people do not understand?
Perhaps she should have gone to a parochial school.
She should have not been allowed to graduate for failure to read and understand the laws of our nation.