ACLU probing religion at Enloe

Proselytizing cited by speaker in class

Disappointed in the response from Wake County Public Schools, the North Carolina chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union said it was launching an expanded investigation into reports that at least one Christian speaker at Enloe High School apparently tried to proselytize to students.

The executive director of the ACLU said her office mailed a letter Feb. 22 to Beth Cochran, principal of Enloe High School, asking for assurances that the public school would not allow proselytizing to students again. The short response, signed by schools Superintendent Del Burns, provided no such assurance.

The ACLU became involved in the case after students complained that a guest speaker encouraged them to convert to Christianity and to shun Muslims. The guest made the comments while visiting some classes of social studies teacher Robert Escamilla this month.

"At the very least, while the school is investigating the events of Feb. 15, we would expect the school to reassure the public that it will take steps to prevent proselytizing to students in the future," said Jennifer Rudinger, executive director of the ACLU of North Carolina.

In his response to the ACLU's letter, dated Feb. 23, Burns said only that the school system has launched an internal review of the incident and will take action once it has completed its review. That prompted the ACLU to announce its expanded investigation Tuesday, though it fell short of filing a lawsuit.

Rudinger said legal action has not been ruled out.

"Once we gather all the facts, we will make a determination as to whether further action is warranted," she said.

According to students who heard the presentation, guest speaker Kamil Solomon urged girls not to marry Muslims and handed out pamphlets comparing the teachings of Jesus and Muhammad. One pamphlet called the Muslim prophet a "criminal," "demon possessed" and "inspired by Satan."

Rudinger also said her office has received calls from former Enloe students saying this was not the first time Christianity had been promoted at the school. The students reported that Escamilla has in the past witnessed to his own faith and invited speakers to do the same.

A school spokesman, Michael Evans, said he couldn't comment on whether the incident violated any laws or amounted to a school-sponsored promotion of religion.

"We're conducting a review as we speak," he said. "Until that review is completed, it's hard for me to speculate."

Rudinger said she was particularly concerned that the school system has characterized the incident as an example of free speech. In a letter to a Muslim advocacy group, Principal Cochran said the school "prides itself on encouraging the free exchange of ideas" and that teachers emphasized that Solomon's appearance was "one person's perspective."

The ACLU alleges that the incident represents a clear violation of the First Amendment, which courts have ruled prohibits public schools from promoting religion. Several constitutional lawyers and experts on the First Amendment said the case appears to be a violation.

"This is a flagrant violation of what public schools are supposed to do," said Charles Haynes, senior scholar at the nonprofit First Amendment Center in Washington. "Schools can't turn their classrooms over to anyone to promote or denigrate religion. They did something unconstitutional, and there's no way they can explain it away."