Opinion ID: 1147963
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 9

Heading: Ruling Respecting Wearing of Religious Garb by Public School Teachers.

Text: The plaintiffs strongly urge that in any event the Religious should not be allowed to wear religious garb and insignia while discharging their duties as teachers, as this gives the Roman Catholic Church an advantage over all other churches and sects. In addition to the Everson and McCollum cases, supra, they rely on O'Connor v. Hendrick, supra, and Knowlton v. Baumhover, 182 Iowa 691, 166 N.W. 202, 5 A.L.R. 841. In the O'Connor case the New York State Superintendent of Schools made a regulation prohibiting the wearing of religious garb by teachers in the public schools. One teacher, a member of a Roman Catholic Order, refused to comply with the regulation and brought suit for salary accruing after the effective date of the regulation. The constitution of that state provides substantially the same as ours, that public property, credit or money shall not be used directly or indirectly in the aid of any school under the control of any religious denomination. Applying this provision of the constitution to the facts as above noted, the court said:    Here we have the plainest possible declaration of the public policy of the state as opposed to the prevalence of sectarian influences in the public schools. The regulation established by the state superintendent of public instruction through the agency of his order in the Bates appeal is in accord with the public policy thus evidenced by the fundamental law. There can be little doubt that the effect of the costume worn by these Sisters of St. Joseph at all times in the presence of their pupils would be to inspire respect, if not sympathy, for the religious denomination to which they so manifestly belong. To this extent the influence was sectarian, even if it did not amount to the teaching of denominational doctrine. [184 N.Y. 421, 77 N.E. 614.] It is worthy of note the court approved the strong dissenting opinion of Mr. Justice Williams in Hysong v. Gallitzin Borough School District, 164 Pa. 629, 30 A. 482, 26 L.R.A. 203, 44 Am.St.Rep. 632, where a majority of the Pennsylvania court had refused to enjoin the wearing of religious garb in their public schools, quoting from the dissent as follows:    The teachers, said Mr. Justice Williams   , `come into the schools, not as common school teachers or as civilians, but as the representatives of a particular order in a particular church, whose lives have been dedicated to religious work under the direction of that church. Now the point of the objection is, not that their religion disqualifies them. It does not.    It is not that holding an ecclesiastical office or position disqualifies, for it does not. It is the introduction into the schools as teachers of persons who are by their striking and distinctive ecclesiastical robes necessarily and constantly asserting their membership in a particular church, and in a religious order within that church, and the subjection of their lives to the direction and control of its officers.' (Emphasis ours.) The O'Connor case was based on a regulation, but the reasoning of the court is equally applicable here. In view of the fact we now have a like regulation made by our State Board of Education, we give specific approval to the holding of the New York court on that subject. The O'Connor case and the dissenting opinion of Justice Williams in the Hysong case were likewise approved in Knowlton v. Baumhover, supra. The material facts in that case present a situation almost identical to the one we have in a number of schools in this case. A school building was closed and one room utilized as a public school was rented from the local priest of the Roman Catholic Church. A Religious was employed to teach in the public school room while another Religious taught in a room where a Roman Catholic parochial school was maintained. In the actual teaching, however, both rooms were operated the same, with the Religious teaching the catechism, having prayers and displaying Roman Catholic and religious pictures on the walls. When protest was made against the teaching of religion in the public classroom, it was discontinued, but the children of Catholic parents and others who wished to attend were marched to the adjoining church for religious instruction before school. The Iowa court in an exhaustive review of the authorities held the so-called public school was in fact a Roman Catholic school; that wearing of religious garb and the crucifix was an introduction of sectarian religion in the school, bound to make a strong impression on all children. Therefore, the court required the school directors to forthwith move out of the church property and enjoined the payment of public money to the Religious for teaching in her garb. While the opinion is lengthy, it is an able one and should interest those concerned with the subject. The Religious rely strongly on the case of Gerhardt v. Heid, 66 N.D. 444, 267 N.W. 127, where the court refused to enjoin the Religious from teaching or the wearing of religious garb while teaching. However, it must be observed the court said there were no such conditions prevailing in the North Dakota school as had existed in the Iowa school. In the school before the court there was no teaching of religion or wearing of emblems, except for a few days at the opening of the school term, nor were there religious pictures on the walls. There is a strong intimation, as we read the opinion that if the conditions which obtained in the Iowa school had been present in North Dakota, a different result might have been reached. So long as the resolution of March 6, 1951, by the State Board of Education barring the wearing of religious garb by teachers in our public schools is in effect and is enforced, there is, of course, no need for the issuance of an injunction preventing this practice. However, in view of the frequent changes in the personnel of the State Board of Education and the danger of a restoration of such practice, we feel compelled to announce our decision that the wearing of religious garb and religious insignia must be henceforth barred, during the time the Religious are on duty as public school teachers. We hold the trial court erred in denying an injunction on this feature of the case. Not only does the wearing of religious garb and insignia have a propagandizing effect for the church, but by its very nature it introduced sectarian religion into the school. If the Religious are again employed as teachers in our public schools they must not dress in religious garb or wear religious emblems while in the discharge of their duties as such teachers. They must also refrain from the teaching of sectarian religion and doctrines and the dissemination of religious literature during such time. Furthermore, they must be under the actual control and supervision of the responsible school authorities. A church cannot be permitted to operate a school system within our public school system.