The News: The Wisconsin Institute for Law & Liberty (WILL) is demanding that the Arrowhead Union High School District remedy unconstitutional religious discrimination after school officials prohibited graduating senior Sarianne Beronja from displaying a Bible verse on her commencement slideshow.
Students were asked by the District to submit personal messages to appear alongside their names during graduation. While the District approved a wide range of personal expressions—including humor, song lyrics, words of gratitude, and even Venmo requests—it rejected Sarianne’s submission solely because it was religious.
A video explaining what happened is available here.
Among other remedies, we are asking the District to rescind any policy, directive, practice, or interpretation that prohibits student religious expression solely because it is religious in nature.
The Quotes: WILL Deputy Counsel, Cory Brewer, stated, “‘Separation of Church and State’ is not an excuse to erase the viewpoints of students of faith. Arrowhead invited students to express themselves and approved countless secular messages, but when Sarianne shared a Bible verse that reflected her faith, school officials censored it. That’s unconstitutional. We are calling on the school board to immediately correct this violation and ensure no future student is subject to similar discrimination. If the District refuses to do so, our clients are prepared to pursue legal action.”