| Show RELIGION courses challenged traditional american separation of church from state was the issue mrs vashti mccullom of champaign ill raised against the champaign school board in her suit to halt voluntary religious instruction in the public schools in the community with both mrs mccullom and the board prepared to appeal to the supreme court in event of their loss of the decision the suit promises to affect similar instruction in 1858 1856 communities in 46 states north dakota and new hampshire are the only states without such religious courses in bringing her suit as the interested party mrs mccullom stated that as the only pupil in his class not enrolled in the voluntary 30 minute per week instruction in the protestant catholic and jewish faiths her 10 year old son terry had suffered acute embarrassment As a result she said indirect pre pressure assure had been brought to bear against the youngster to take the course regardless of his inclination on public school property maintained by taxpayers funds in countering mrs mccullors charge the school board pointed out that the courses were outside of the school curricula and purely voluntary with the representatives of all of the principal religious denominations conducting and financing the instruction aside from the state constitution and statutes involved federal intervention hinged on the first amendment to the U S constitution which provides congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion or prohibiting the free exercise thereof and section I 1 of the amendment to the constitution ution declaring no state shall make or enforce any law which shall abridge the privileges or immunities of the citizens of the united states nor shall any state deprive any person of life liberty or property without due process of law nor deny to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws mother of three boys and wife of a university of illinois professor 32 year old mrs mccullom said that while she realized the suit might harm young terry her deep conviction on separation of church from state inspired her action |
