PROVIDENCE, R.I.—The Rhode Island chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union is asking a judge to forbid the City of Cranston from displaying a Christian prayer banner in a school auditorium.
The ACLU announced Thursday that it wants the banner removed, pending the outcome of a lawsuit alleging the banner promotes a particular religion.
The suit seeks the banner's permanent removal from Cranston High School West. The plaintiff is sophomore Jessica Ahlquist, a 15-year-old atheist who says the banner is offensive to non-Christians.
The banner encourages students to strive academically and begins with "Our Heavenly Father" and ends with "Amen."
Last year, the ACLU asked the school to remove the banner after a parent complained. School officials voted in March to keep the banner, which has been displayed since the 1960s.
