Matthew LeClair was just a normal teenage kid going to school in New Jersey until he saw that one of his teachers was proselytizing Christianity to his class. Matthew recorded some of the teacher's statements and a giant storm was unleashed. After complaining to school board got him in hot water with other students and the school him and his parents took further action. He might have left it alone, though death threats can spur some to make a change in how the system works.
Mr. LeClair has some big names behind him now to fight back against the school board, including People for The American Way and possibly the ACLU. Matthew's lawyers have already begun to take action.
From The NY Times:
The LaClairs filed a torts claim notice on Feb. 13 against the school board, Mr. Paszkiewicz and other school officials. Such a claim is required before a lawsuit can be filed in New Jersey. “The school created a climate in which the students in the school community held resentment for Matthew,” said Deborah Jacobs, executive director of the A.C.L.U. in New Jersey. She said Kearny High School had “violated the spirit and the letter of freedom of religion and the First Amendment.”
Ms. Jacobs added that the A.C.L.U. would support the LaClairs if they sue the school board and might join the action.
Richard Mancino, a partner with Willkie Farr & Gallagher, which is representing the family, said he did not understand why school officials would not “stand up for this student, who had the guts to raise this constitutional issue.” Instead, Mr. Mancino said, they appear “to have adopted a shoot-the-messenger policy.”
The school claims that the matter has been resolved and they looked into the matter by themselves with the help of a former director of the New Jersey Division of Criminal Justice, Edwin Stier. Meanwhile, the teacher, Mr. Paszkiewicz continues to teach at Newark's Kearny High School. If the school will not work with Matthew, it seems that larger forces might make headway on his behalf.
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