By Bod Wheaton*

Reprinted with permission from The Flint Journal, 3/10/02 (Flint, Michigan)

May 2002 – God is in Melissa Killingbeck’s public school classroom.

The teacher at Flushing’s Central Elementary School is one of the first in the state to put up a poster that says, “In God We Trust.” It’s part of a nationwide movement.

At least four area school districts have ordered such posters in the wake of the September 11 terrorist attacks, and a new state law says it’s OK for public schools to display the phrase, which has been the nation’s official motto since 1956.

Supporters say there’s nothing wrong with posting the same saying that appears on U.S. Currency, especially during a time of war. Critics say the posters push religion on students–although a spokeswoman for the American Civil Liberties Union said she’s not sure there’s anything unconstitutional about the posters.

“I guess I can see both sides of it,” said Killingbeck, who said she will use the poster in teaching social studies in her fifth-grade classroom. 

It was even upheld in court that this is not a religious symbol. It’s a show of patriotism and it’s our national motto. I can see where people are coming from. It has the word ‘God’ in it. So it’s hard not to look at it as a regions thing.”

The movement began with a push in Mississippi by the American Family Association, a fundamentalist Christian group in Tupelo, Mississippi. Mississippi lawmakers passed a law about a year ago, well before September 11, that requires the motto to be placed in every classroom.

The organization has since asked its 200,000 members from all 50 states to contact lawmakers and push for similar laws.

The Grand Blanc, LakeVille, and Mt. Morris school districts also have ordered posters, but officials said they haven’t been displayed in schools yet.

Charles Alley, 17, a junior at Grand Blanc High School, said he would object.

“‘In God We Trust’ is a subjective statement, so I don’t agree with that,” said Alley, who was a member of the school’s atheist club before it disbanded. “I would argue that it shouldn’t be (printed) on the money, because it’s the same issue.”

Alley and senior Barbie Fischer, who organizes a Bible study group at the school, agree, however, that few students are likely to oppose the posters.

Fisher, 17, 1 senior, said she’d like to see more of a religious presence in public schools. “I think it’s very awesome that our schools are putting up the poster ‘In God We Trust’ and recognizing that God is the foundation of our country,” she said. “But yet it seems kind of hypocritical, because when a speaker comes to talk to the students, they’re not allowed to say God’s name at all.”

ACLU of Michigan spokeswoman Wendy Wagenheim said it’s “highly questionable” the group will challenge the constitutionality of the posters.

“I'm not even sure there’s a legal issue here as much as other’s a public policy issue,” Wagenheim said. “It’s never good public policy to divide the country, but especially now when we’re trying to come together.”

Flushing is the first Michigan school district that she’s heard has put up the posters, Wagenheim said.

Lucy Ham, the parent of a Flushing High School student, and a small group of friends from New Community Church of God in Flint Township gave the posters to the district.

“God is still in charge,” Ham said. “Sometimes we like to deny that, but He’s still in charge.”

Flushing Superintendent Barbara Goebel said 48 of the district’s 200-plus teachers asked for the posters, some of which have been up since November. It’s up to each teacher to decide whether to hang the posters. Grand Blanc, LakeVille, and Mt. Morris and more than 40 other Michigan schools ordered free posters from the Thomas More Law Center of Ann Arbor, a group started by former Domino’s Pizza owner Tom Monaghan to push for religious rights.

The law center sent letters to every school board president in Michigan offering the free posters, said spokesman Brian Burch. The Ann Arbor group has promised free legal representation for any school district that is sued over the posters.

A state law signed in December by Gov. John M. Engler allows public schools and other local governments to legally display the motto. Rep, Stephen R. Ehardt (R-Lexington), whose district includes part of Lapeer County, sponsored the legislation.

The ACLU’s Wagenheim said schools that are ordering the posters are helping groups whose agenda is to bring religion into public schools.

But Mare Bauermeister, who teaches world history and humanities at Grand Blanc High School, said she doesn’t see it that way. “They can have their political agenda,” Bauermeister said. “ We can take advantage of it, but that doesn’t necessarily mean that we believe in their agenda.”

Bauermeister said she plans to put a poster in her classroom because it will help her talk about history and the commonalities amount major work religions.

“I would also say that if a student came up to me and told me that they feel uncomfortable because it was there, and they could truly tell me why if offended them, … I would be happy to take it down,” she said.

Mt. Morris Superintendent Larry Allen said his district ordered about 10 posters – enough for one or two in every building. ”(September 11) has affected our whole society and it’s affected our kids, too,”Allen said. “They have a tendency to be a lot more patriotic. And I like it. We’re not doing this to offend anybody.”

LakeVille Superintendent James Richardson said he will give the posters to principals.

“If you’re going to have them in there then I want them used in teaching session plans and things like that,” Richardson said. “I don’t have a problem with it, personally. I just don’t want to start something that people are going to object to.”

The North Branch Board of Education, which has been discussing the posters for months, could decide Monday whether to order them, said Superintendent Rick VanHaagten.

Gail Braverman, spokeswoman for the Michigan Association of School Boards, wad the group is leaving the choice up to local districts.

“It’s a political issue,” she said. “It’s not a violation of separation of church and state from our perspective … It’s basically a no-win situation because there are always people that are going to be upset with them.”

Said Tim Wildmon, the American Family Association’s vice president: “America has a rich Christian, and really religious, heritage. It the president of the United States can be sworn in by placing his hand on the Holy Bible, certainly kids can know what the national motto is.”

Emily Whitfield, a spokeswoman for the American Civil Liberties Union in New York, countered: “George Bush said in our State of the Union address that our national motto should be ‘Let’s roll’ Maybe we should put that up there.”

Information from The Associated Press is included in this report.  

* Bob Wheaton is a staff writer for The Flint Journal.