Hood v. Medford Township Board of EducationIn 1996, Zachary Hood and his classmates were invited by their first grade teacher to bring a favorite book to school, from which they’d be permitted to read a selection. Zachary brought his Beginner’s Bible, and chose a story called “A Big Family,” about Jacob’s return to his brother Esau. The teacher refused to allow him to read it to the class because she believed that it was religious in nature. In 1997, Zachary’s mother Carol filed suit against the Medford Township (N.J.) Board of Education, charging that the school violated her son’s First Amendment rights. A federal district court held against them on December 30, 1997, and their initial appeal was rejected by the Third Circuit Court of Appeals on September 25, 1998. At this point, The Becket Fund took over the case, and filed a petition for rehearing by the Third Circuit on October 9, 1998. The same three judge panel again affirmed the district court’s dismissal on October 22, 1999. The Becket Fund then moved for rehearing en banc, and on December 1, 1999, the motion was granted. The full Third Circuit, sitting en banc, heard oral arguments in the case on February 16, 2000. On August 28, 2000, the sharply divided court split 6-6, with their decision thereby affirming the district court ruling regarding the Beginner's Bible. But it remanded another portion of the case, involving a Thanksgiving poster Zack had drawn in Kindergarten, to allow the filing of an amended complaint. On November 22, 2000, The Becket Fund appealed the decision on the Beginner's Bible story to the U.S. Supreme Court. The text of the petition for a writ of certiorari is in PDF format, with a file size of 146k. On June 18, 2001, the Supreme Court declined to hear the case. The Becket Fund will thus proceed to file an amended complaint with the district court regarding the poster. The Becket Fund news release provides more detailed reaction to the Supreme Court's action. On October 11, 2001, an amended complaint (PDF format, 47K) was filed in U.S. District Court for the District of New Jersey. On November 4, 2002, the township agreed to settle the case and pay a $35,000 award to Carol and Zachary Hood. On February 7, 2003, the U.S. Department of Education issued official guidance stating that "students may express their beliefs about religion in homework, artwork, and other written and oral assignments free from discrimination based on the religious content of their submissions." At The Becket Fund, they're now known as "Zach's Rules." The case was originally entitled C.H. v. Oliva, "C.H." referring to Carol Hood, and "Oliva" referring to first grade teacher Grace Oliva. Media Coverage: New U.S. rules allow religious role in schools (Courier-Post, by Mike Daniels, February 11, 2003) Mother of Medford boy settles Bible poster suit (Courier-Post, November 5, 2002) Mom suing over removal of son's art (Courier-Post, by Vanessa Colon, October 14, 2001) Medford boy denied day in high court (Courier-Post, June 23, 2001) Supreme Court refuses to hear Bible story case (Courier-Post, by Kathy Hennessy, June 19, 2001) Boy barred from reading Bible story loses Supreme Court appeal (Associated Press, as posted on Freedom Forum website, June 18, 2001) Dismissal of suit over Bible story upheld (The Philadelphia Inquirer, by Joseph A. Slobodzian, August 29, 2000) Judges split in case of first-grader barred from reading Bible story (Associated Press, as posted on Freedom Forum website, August 29, 2000) Dispute over Bible reading returns to appellate court (The Philadelphia Inquirer, by Joseph A. Slobodzian, February 17, 2000) NBC's Today Show, Katie Couric Articles & News Items- "Third Circuit Decision in Beginner's Bible Case," August 28, 2000
- "Supreme Court is Asked to Take "Beginner's Bible" Case," November 22, 2000
- "Becket Fund will pursue Zachary Hood case in District Court," June 18, 2001
- "Amended complaint filed in "Beginner's Bible" case," October 11, 2001
- "New federal regulatory guidance protects religious expression in schools," February 10, 2003
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