A plaque of the Ten Commandments was removed from an Ohio middle school following complaints by the Freedom From Religion Foundation (FFRF), an atheist nonprofit founded by activists and Democratic donors Annie Laurie Gaylor and husband Dan Barker.
According to Fox News, officials at Joseph Welty Middle School in New Philadelphia, Ohio removed the tablet after FFRF complained that the ancient biblical edicts might make some students feel uncomfortable.
“The district’s promotion of the Judeo-Christian bible and religion over nonreligion impermissibly turns any non-Christian or non-believing student into an outsider,” said FFRF representative Christopher Line in an April letter to the school, adding “Schoolchildren already feel significant pressure to conform to their peers. They must not be subjected to similar pressure from their schools, especially on religious questions.”
The plaque was gifted to the school by the class of 1926.
“In speaking with the district, it is my understanding that the plaque has been taken down and is no longer on display on district property,” said the school district’s attorney, Brian J. DeSantis, in a June 19 email to FFRF. – READ MORE