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PASTOR GENERAL'S REPORT, April 10, 1981
Page 13
FEDERAL COURT DECISION HELPS CHURCH CHILDREN
Corporate Counsel for the Church, Ralph K. Helge, reports that a Federal
judge in Amarillo, Texas, has just declared unconstitutional a School
Board policy that resulted in oppression of Church children for taking
off school for the Feast of Tabernacles and other Holy Days.
In the case which Church Corporate Counsel caused to be filed and also
served as co-counsel, the Federal judge has come down hard on the Amarillo,
Texas Independent School District for refusing to let Worldwide Church of
God children off from school to go to the Feast. The School Board had
established a policy of allowing a maximum of two excused absenses per
school year for Church children for religious reasons. The children were
given zeros for every unexcused day they were absent, were denied makeup
work and the right to make up missed tests. Many received failing grades
for the grading period and their overall grades were lowered for the whole
year.
In ruling in favor of the Church and against the School Board, the court:
(1) Declared the School Board's excused absence policy to be uncon
stitutional and in violation of the free exercise of religion rights of
the children under the First and Fourteenth Amendments to the United States
Constitation.
(2) Entered an injunction prohibiting the School Board from enforcing
its unlawful policy.
(3) Ordered the School Board to go back and provide makeup work to
the children for all tests and school work which was missed during the
Feast and Holy Days last fall, and to raise their fall grades accordingly.
(4) Ordered the School Board to pay the attorneys' fees of the
Church's attorneys and other costs of the suit.
Needless to say, we are extremely pleased with this favorable result and
are hopeful that this decision will be a precedent for correcting or pre
venting similar problems in other scattered school districts across the
country.
WORLDWIDE NEWS CIRCULATION POLICY CHANGE
The Worldwide News is sent free of charge to all current member heads of
household. Newly baptized members are added to our lists automatically.
The Worldwide News will no longer be sent to co-workers or to other non
members who have asked to be added to the WN mailing list. This circula
tion policy
is
effective beginning with the April 6, 1981 Worldwide News
at Mr. Armstrong's request.
Church pastors are requested,therefore,to discontinue furnishing their
church libraries with copies of the WN for general consumption. Also,
prospective members should not be encouraged to subscribe to the paper.
They will be automatically added to WN mailing lists upon our notification
of their baptism. The Good News magazine, however, will continue to be
made available to co-workers and prospective members.
--Dexter Faulkner