Las Cruces Public School District

One of the contradictions in the city of Las Cruces is the public school district. The district promotes Christianity, pure and simple. The school district denies it. The long time school board member, Charles (Chuck) Davis, representing the school district in a deposition, explained away the school district using the crosses of the Trinity as a logo thusly: "We do it because the city (Las Cruces) does it."

A blatant contradiction of the school district at that time was the dual logo symbols used by the school district. One was the crosses of the Trinity used on the maintenance vehicles that could be seen on the grounds of every public school, at businesses, and driving about the city. The other is a peculiar sight, not only on the front of the Administration Building, it constructed in tile allegedly from a drawing in a 'contest' won by a 'student.' The year and the student's name disappeared over time. The artwork is very similar to that produced by an elementary school's art teacher.

The crosses of the Trinity vehicles' logo disappeared soon after the local federal Judge Robert ("I am a Christian.") Brack ruled that the crosses were not religious and this idea was parroted by the trois singes federal court in Denver. If the crosses are not religious, what's the point of keeping them on the vehicles for proselytizing? With these actions the school district totally adopted the modified State of New Mexico symbol, the appropriated Zia Pueblo symbol, now representing the Trinity and possibly the twelve disciples - three times four is twelve - on all school district property, including name tags and shirt patches of hourly employees. Total immersion. Especially when the City police go on campuses and into the schools wearing their bright Resurrection patches.

In early times of the new millennium the school district was questioned by several First Amendment-minded citizens about the lack of equal religious rights in the district, about using the public schools to proselytize. The school district refused to talk to the citizens as they scrambled to get a policy and procedures printed up. At the time all they had was a policy, but no procedures. The policy was a one-sentence which in part said: "....we reserve the right to teach about religion." The school district has adamantly refused to add an 's' to the word 'religion.' All witnesses from the school district, including the two judges previously mentioned, said they could not see a difference by adding an 's.' Anyway, by 2003, a Policy and Procedures 424, Religion in the Schools, was published by the school district and back-dated!!! As of this date the school district has not held any classes for teachers, administrators, and school board members on the importance of keeping the public schools religion/non-religion neutral.

The belligerence of the school district toward minorities is readily viewed on the annual school district calendar. All the Christian holidays are there. But what about the Others? The school district is so culturally ignorant that a letter had to go out to the schools to not penalize Jewish children for missing school on Yom Kippur last year.

A citizen wrote the superintendent and asked a simple question: What policy and procedure protects the students from proselytizing by organizations when they go on school district-sanctioned field trips or visits off campus? Too complicated for the school district administration for sure! Their problem was forwarded to the district law firm in Santa Fe for them to respond to the curious citizen. The contradiction is that the lawyer was equally, or more so, culturally deficient as the staff at the district office as he fumbled in his attempt to scare the citizen.