Arizona school board member sues district prohibiting her from reading Bible scripture during meetings

This blog originally appeared at NBC News.

Heather Rooks, her attorneys explained, would study scripture in preparation for her responsibilities of reading at meetings for the Peoria Unified School District Governing Board.

An Arizona school board member claimed she has been prohibited from reading the Bible during board meetings, citing it as illegal. This assertion comes as part of a federal lawsuit she has filed.

Heather Rooks had a practice of reading a scripture at each meeting for the Peoria Unified School District Governing Board, which she believed helped her prepare for her duties, as stated by her attorneys in a press release.

However, in July, she chose to discontinue this practice after receiving a letter from the board. The letter asserted that reciting verses violated the Establishment Clause, which prohibits the government from endorsing any religion.

In response, she has initiated a lawsuit against the Peoria Unified School District, contending that quoting from any text during a public meeting falls under protected free speech.

An Arizona school board member claimed she has been prohibited from reading the Bible during board meetings, citing it as illegal. This assertion comes as part of a federal lawsuit she has filed.

Heather Rooks had a practice of reading a scripture at each meeting for the Peoria Unified School District Governing Board, which she believed helped her prepare for her duties, as stated by her attorneys in a press release.

However, in July, she chose to discontinue this practice after receiving a letter from the board. The letter asserted that reciting verses violated the Establishment Clause, which prohibits the government from endorsing any religion.

In response, she has initiated a lawsuit against the Peoria Unified School District, contending that quoting from any text during a public meeting falls under protected free speech.

“Heather takes her responsibilities serving the parents and students in her community seriously, and quotes Bible verses as a source of courage and strength in performing those duties,” attorney Andy Gould with First Liberty Institute said in a statement. “Like so many dedicated public leaders throughout our history, Heather most certainly can use inspirational quotes from religious, historical, and philosophical sources and figures as a source of personal inspiration as well and encouragement to the community at-large.”

Rooks would recite the verses during a “Board comments” portion of the meetings, which allowed board members to make remarks or discuss topics that were not on the agenda, according to the lawsuit.

“At the beginning of her comments, Rooks would often recite a brief Bible verse—a simple quotation without elaboration or further comment,” the lawsuit states. “Each time Rooks recited a scripture, she chose the verse to solemnize the occasion and fortify herself to perform her official duties.”

During her inaugural board meeting on January 12, she recited Joshua 1:9, expressed her gratitude towards her supporters, and made a commitment to steadfastly serve the community, as outlined in the lawsuit.

For several months after that, she continued to read passages from the Bible during meetings.

According to the lawsuit, Rooks never requested or encouraged anyone else to acknowledge these scriptures. Following her recitations, she would express appreciation for teachers and parents, recognize upcoming holidays, or draw attention to any issues impacting the district.

However, after a meeting on February 9, it’s alleged that the legal director of Secular AZ, a nonprofit organization focused on safeguarding the constitutional separation of church and state, filed a complaint with the board, claiming that Rooks’ recitation of the Bible amounted to “unconstitutional proselytizing.”

Upon receiving the complaint, the board’s legal counsel communicated via email to board members that they were not permitted to engage in prayer or recite scripture during meetings, as stated in the lawsuit.

At a March 9 meeting, Rooks started to recite 1 Corinthians 16:13 prompting the board president to interrupt her “to tell her that ‘reciting scripture at a board meeting on this side of the dais goes against the Establishment Clause,'” according to the lawsuit.