ACLU Sues to Stop Boy Scout Meetings

The American Civil Liberties Union filed a lawsuit to stop public schools, military bases and other publicly funded organizations from allowing Boy Scout meetings as long as the scouts insist on a religious oath. The lawsuit, filed in U.S. District Court on behalf of five taxpayers, names as defendants the Chicago Public Schools and the United States Transportation Command at Scott Air Force Base in southern Illinois. “This is a clear violation of the constitutional requirement of separation of church and state,” ACLU attorney Roger Leishman said. But a spokesman for the Chicago Public Schools said the lawsuit is not valid. “There is no allegation that any individual student or leader has suffered any kind of discrimination based on religion in connection with any program sponsored by the Chicago Public Schools,” said Robert Hall, an attorney with the system. The Boy Scouts of America also said references to God are part of the country’s heritage, found in the Declaration of Independence, in the Pledge of Allegiance and on coins.