S.L. District won't punish West High students for song.

Salt Lake Tribune 06/16/1995
By Samuel A. Autman

The West High Students who committed civil disobedience at a graduation ceremony last week by singing a religious song will not be punished, the Salt Lake City School District announced Thursday. "West High School Principal Bill Boston has been meeting with students and parents to resolve the discipline issues in a manner that is positive for all concerned," said Salt Lake City School District spokeswoman Sherri Clark. "He has decided that no punitive or negative action will be taken." Instead, Boston hope to continue talking about concerned parents and students so the issues will be resolved when school begins in August, she said. Efforts to reach Boston by telephone were unsuccessful. On June 6, the 10th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ordered West's a cappella choir not to sing two religion songs, "The Lord Bless You and Keep You" and "Friends." Attorneys for 16-year-old Rachel Bauchman, a Jewish student, argued that the songs contained the words "God" and "Lord," and thus were prayers. However, at the June 7 graduation, most of the choir, the graduating seniors and the audience sang "Friends" anyway. In a new conference the next day, the district vowed to punish sophomores and juniors via community service or expulsion. The graduates were exempt because they had finished their coursework. Clark said the district never requested criminal prosecution and that Boston himself had to decide how to handle the church-state fiasco, which has gained national media attention. Jim McConkie, an attorney retained by William Badger, a graduate who ran to the stage and invited people to sing along, and several other students and parents said the discussion that followed the eruption has been meaningful. "We are all concerned with how divisive it became so quickly," McConkie said, "We are concerned with the name-calling and that people who were exercising their right to differ were not being treated fairly." Those who sang at the ceremony were objection to a court order that they felt impeded their freedom of speech and religion, he said. No ill will was directed at Bauchman or anyone else, he said. In previous interviews, Bauchman said their decision to speak out was not with the intent of trampling on anyone's religious views, but rather a plea for religious and ethnic diversity. Moreover, she wanted the line between church and state to be more sharply drawn at school functions. Bauchman will be a junior next year. She and her parents declined to comment Thursday on the district's decision. Jonathan Brinton, valedictorian of the graduating class, is happy no one is being punished. "It's an appropriate decision because the students were careful to not violate a court order," he said. "The court order applied to the district officials, so therefore there should be no punishment."