Opinion ID: 805319
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: facts

Text: The District is a municipal public school district centered around Brookfield, Wisconsin, a suburb to the west of Milwaukee. Its two major high schools are Brookfield Central and Brookfield East. For part of the last decade or so, Central and East have held their high school graduation ceremonies in the main sanctuary of Elmbrook Church,1 a local Christian evangelical and 1 The Does refer to the room in which the ceremonies were held as the “sanctuary,” but the District insists that it actually is called the “auditorium” and that it is labeled as such. Both (continued...) 6 No. 10-2922 non-denominational religious institution. Central began the practice in 2000, and East followed in 2002; both schools rented the Church for graduation every year thereafter through 2009. For at least some years since 2003, Central also rented the Church’s chapel, a smaller room, for its senior honors night. East rented the Sharon Lynne Wilson Center for the Arts, a secular facility, for its honors night. The impetus to move Central’s graduation to the Church appears to have come from the student officers of the senior class of 2000, who believed that the school’s gymnasium—the previous venue—was too hot, cramped and uncomfortable. Those attending were packed in; they had to sit on hard wooden bleachers or folding chairs; and there was no air conditioning. Seeking a better alternative, the student officers decided upon the Church, which was much larger than the gymnasium and had more comfortable seats, air conditioning and ample free parking. They presented their idea to District Superintendent Matt Gibson 2 and 1 (...continued) parties agree that the Church itself refers to the room variously as the “sanctuary,” the “Sanctuary/Auditorium” and the “auditorium.” It is clear that the room is a religious venue and that “[t]he Church holds its weekend worship services” there. 2 In September 1999, the senior class officers sent a letter to Superintendent Gibson making their case for the Church: We request that the site of the ceremony be changed to an auditorium in Elmbrook Church . . . . As you know, the (continued...) No. 10-2922 7 then to the senior class, which voted in favor of the proposal. After the vote, Principal Jim Brisco made the ultimate decision to choose the Church, and Superintendent Gibson approved. A similar process began at East two years later, and Principal Joe Schroeder “eventually adopted the proposal, after a majority of seniors voted for it.” Until 2005, each year the students in the senior class participated in advisory votes to choose between two or three venues.3 These preliminary selections were made 2 (...continued) graduation ceremony has been held in the Brookfield Central Gymnasium for the past several years. The seating in the Gymnasium is very limited, causing the atmosphere to be very busy and perhaps even chaotic. On top of the crowding, the temperature in the Gymnasium gets extremely hot in the month of June. We feel that the Elmbrook Church will overcome the limitations of space and temperature control, providing ample comfortable seating and an air-conditioned room. The cushioned seats are also much more comfortable in comparison to the hard, wooden bleachers available at school. In addition, there are more than enough parking spaces and excellent handicap facilities available at the Church. There is no information in the record about how the senior class officers first learned of the Church or its amenities. 3 Other, secular graduation sites that have been suggested to the District include the School gym and football fields, the Sharon Lynne Wilson Center for the Arts, Carroll University’s Shattuck Auditorium, Milwaukee Area Technical College’s Cooley (continued...) 8 No. 10-2922 by school officials and senior class officers. The Church was always one of them, and the Church invariably emerged as the overwhelming favorite.4 In 2006, the principals of East and Central determined that holding a vote for the 2007 graduation venue would be pointless and simply selected the Church after it was recom- mended to them by the senior class officers of the two schools. Superintendent Gibson and Tom Gehl, a member of the school board since 2005 and president of the school board since 2009, are both members of the Church. The Does have not alleged that Superintendent Gibson or Board President Gehl have engaged in any efforts to steer graduation ceremonies to the Church, nor do they allege that either of these officials has misused his office to benefit the Church or to form a relationship between the District and the Church. While there is no evidence that either Superintendent Gibson or Board President Gehl influenced or attempted to influence the student vote that resulted in the selection of the Church, Superintendent Gibson ultimately had to approve of the deci- 3 (...continued) Auditorium, the Pabst Theater in Milwaukee, the Waukesha County Expo Center, the U.S. Cellular Arena in Milwaukee, the Midwest Airlines Center in Milwaukee, and the Wisconsin State Fair Park. 4 For example, in 2005, ninety percent of seniors at East voted for the Church. Six percent chose the Expo Center, and four percent chose the East gymnasium. No. 10-2922 9 sions made at the school level.5 With the exception of Mr. Gibson, who has been Superintendent of the District since 1995, the major players on the District’s side have changed. Don LaBonte took over as principal of Central in 2005 after two intervening successors to Mr. Brisco. 6 In the same year, Brett Bowers became principal of East when Mr. Schroeder left.7 The Church charged a standard rental rate to the District, which ran between $2,000 and $2,200 for each graduation exercise, and between $500 and $700 for honors night. Money raised by the senior class of each school covered part of the rental fees, and the District funded the rest through its general revenues, which come from property taxes.
The atmosphere of the Church, both inside and outside the sanctuary, is indisputably and emphatically Christian. Crosses and other religious symbols abound on the Church grounds and the exterior of the Church building, 5 Superintendent Gibson was also involved in responding to complaints about the District’s use of the Church and in coordinating certain aspects of the rental arrangement with Church officials. 6 Mr. Brisco was principal of Central from 1996 to 2002. Two other principals, each with a tenure of a year, succeeded him before Mr. LaBonte’s appointment to the position. 7 Mr. Schroeder was principal of East from 1999 to 2005. 10 No. 10-2922 and visitors encounter these symbols as they drive to the parking lot and walk into the building. Many of these symbols—including a cross on the Church roof and a sign with a cross and the words “ELMBROOK CHURCH”—are visible from the public intersection outside the Church. The street names given to the drives approaching the Church are “Agape” and “Barnabas.” 8 To reach the sanctuary, visitors must pass through the Church lobby, which also has served as a natural congregation point for graduates and their guests after past graduation ceremonies. The lobby contains tables and stations filled with evangelical literature, much of which addresses children and teens, and religious banners, symbols and posters decorate the walls.9 In 8 “Agape” is defined by the Oxford English Dictionary as “Christian love (of God or Christ or fellow Christians . . . ).” Oxford English Dictionary, available at http:// www. oed. com/. Barnabas was an early Christian mentioned in the Bible. See Acts 4:36 (Revised Standard Version). 9 Some examples from images captured at past ceremonies: Banners hanging on the lobby walls bear the messages “Knowing the Lord of Jubilee,” “Children’s Ministry: Leading Children to a Transforming Life in Christ,” “JESUS” and “LORD OF LORDS.” An antique-style wooden pushcart labeled “PRAYER” sits in the hallway. A polygonal column displays religious pamphlets and a large sign asking, “Puzzled . . . About Where the Church should be Planted?” on one side. On another column face is a poster labeled “Summer Godsquad.” The poster proclaims, “Hey Jr. Highers! Who Are Your Heroes?” and (continued...) No. 10-2922 11 the middle of the lobby is a large, circular desk displaying pamphlets such as “{young adults},” “{couples ministry},” “{middle school ministry},” “{high school ministry}” and “{college ministry}.” The District admits that Church members manned information booths that contained religious literature during the 2009 graduation, and a DVD recording of the 2002 ceremony shows people staffing these tables. The District also admits that during the 2002 ceremony, “Church members passed out religious literature in the lobby” although neither the District nor the Does divulge further details about how the distribution took place or at whose behest. According to Doe 1, when he attended his older sibling’s graduation, “[m]embers of the church, instead of school officials, handed out graduation materials during the ceremony.” The graduation ceremonies take place on the dais at the front of the sanctuary, where school officials and students with roles in the ceremony are seated. A large Latin cross, fixed to the wall, hangs over the dais 9 (...continued) displays cut-out images of movie characters such as E.T., Buzz Lightyear and Marty McFly, a soccer player, unidentifiable public figures and Jesus. On one wall, a carved wooden plaque invites those who view it to “ ‘. . . go and make disciples of all nations . . .’ Matthew 28:19.” On the walls are literature displays labeled, among other things, “{children}” and “{student}.” In one corner of the lobby, a table containing a computer and several displays of religious literature sits under a sign labeled “{children & student connect}.” 12 No. 10-2922 and dominates the proceedings. 1 0 The first time Central held its graduation in the sanctuary, the cross was covered, apparently by accident.1 1 During subsequent graduations, the Church refused Superintendent Gibson’s requests to veil the cross, in keeping with a general Church policy against covering its permanent religious displays. The Church did agree, however, to remove any non-permanent religious symbols from the dais. The chapel used by Central for its senior honors night also contains a cross. During the ceremonies, “graduating seniors . . . sit down in the front, center rows of pews of the [sanctuary’s] main level.” Guests sit in the other pews. The parties agree that “Bibles and hymnal books remain in all the pews,” as do a “yellow ‘Scribble Card for God’s Little Lambs,’ a pencil, a donation envelope entitled, ‘Home Harvest Horizon: offering to the work of Christ,’ ” and other religious literature. There is no evidence that any of these materials were placed in the pews specifically for the graduation ceremonies.
Complaints about the District’s use of the Church arose soon after the practice began. In 2001, a parent asked 10 “The cross is approximately 15 to 20 feet tall and approximately seven to ten feet wide.” 11 According to an email sent by Superintendent Gibson, the cross “was inadvertently veiled by a custodian.” No. 10-2922 13 the District to stop holding graduation ceremonies at the Church because the parent, a non-Christian, did not want her child exposed to the Church’s alleged teachings about those who do not share its faith.1 2 In that same year, the Freedom from Religion Foundation and the American Civil Liberties Union (“ACLU”) of Wisconsin voiced objections to the graduation site and asserted that it violated the Constitution. The Anti–Defamation League also objected in 2002, followed by Americans United for Separation of Church and State (“Americans United”) in 2007. A series of exchanges in 2007 between Superinten- dent Gibson and Aram Schvey, litigation counsel for Americans United, explored the constitutionality of the practice. Although he defended the venue, Superintendent Gibson assured Schvey that “there are no references to religion or to the church in the graduation program,” that no religious literature would be distributed and that Superintendent Gibson previously has “request[ed] removal of any non-permanent religious banners that may be on stage” and would continue to do so. Schvey appreciated these steps, but he requested that the District cover the cross and “all other religious iconography[,] including permanent banners,” or select a secular venue. Superintendent Gibson responded 12 Specifically, the parent characterized as ” ‘intensely hateful and violent’ ” the Church’s active promotion of ” ‘the idea that people like [the parent] . . . are going to . . . a Hell-like place undergoing endless torments.’ ” (alterations in original). 14 No. 10-2922 that the Church “made a policy decision several years ago that [the cross] not be veiled for rentals.” In many of the letters and correspondence, Superintendent Gibson noted that the District was building a new field house that could accommodate graduation ceremonies and had been engaging in efforts to obtain funding to renovate Central’s and East’s gymnasiums. Although earlier efforts to obtain funding had failed, the public later voted in favor of funding that allowed the District to begin construction and renovation. In 2010, Central and East moved their graduation ceremonies to the District’s newly completed field house. Additionally, in July 2009, Principal LaBonte declared his intention to move Central’s 2010 honors night to its newly renovated gymnasium; in supplemental briefing before us, the District represented that the promised move had occurred. The District nonetheless refused to state that it would never again hold a graduation in Elmbrook Church.
The plaintiffs are current and former students of District schools and their parents. Doe 1 graduated from either Central or East in 2009. Doe 2 is Doe 1’s parent and has an older child whose graduation ceremony was held in the Church four years earlier, as well as younger children who attend Elmbrook schools. One of Doe 2’s younger children is Doe 3, who “will graduate from a District high school no later than 2014.” Does 1 through 3 all attended the graduation ceremonies No. 10-2922 15 of Doe 1 and of Doe 2’s older child. Does 4 and 9 are the parents of children currently attending schools in the district; their eldest children are expected to graduate from high school in 2016 and 2015, respectively. “Does 5 and 6 are the parents of Does 7 and 8, who graduated from a District high school in ceremonies held at Elmbrook Church in 2002 and 2005, respectively.” Does 2, 4, 5 and 6 also pay property taxes that go to the District. What the Does all have in common is that they are not Christians.13 Those of the Does who attended past graduation ceremonies “felt uncomfortable, upset, offended, unwelcome, and/or angry” because of the religious setting. In fact, the setting completely ruined for Doe 5 the experience of his children’s graduation ceremonies, some of which he did not attend. Those plaintiffs still in school or with children still in school do not relish the prospect of attending future ceremonies at the Church. According to the Does, there are many other available venues that the District could use for its graduation ceremonies. Moreover, the Wilson Center could host Central’s senior honors night and indeed does host East’s. The District already pays the Wilson 13 Doe 1 “subscribe[s] to a religious faith different from Christianity,” as do Does 2 and 3. Doe 4 is a humanist, “Does 5, 6, 7, and 8 are atheists,” and “Doe 9 is non-theistic, chooses not to be involved in religion, and does not subscribe to the religious teachings of Elmbrook Church.” 16 No. 10-2922 Center a flat fee each year that allows District schools ample access. The District responds that, although other venues are available for graduation, none is as attractive as the Church, particularly for the price: approximately $2,000 per school per ceremony. However, the Does believe that some of the other venues are roughly equivalent in quality and price.