A Mississippi family is suing Simpson County School District for allegedly discriminating against their daughter for wearing a face mask with the phrase “Jesus Loves Me” on it, according to NBC News.
The lawsuit accused Simpson County School District in Pinola, Mississippi, of discrimination against the child on the basis of her religious beliefs, NBC News reported.
The lawsuit was filed Monday at the U.S. District Court in Jackson and argued that the school district’s mask policy did not originally prohibit religious messages, but was changed after a teacher and the school administrator told the child that she could not wear her “Jesus Loves Me” mask. (RELATED: Ted Cruz Urges Bill Barr To Investigate Crack Downs On Religious Freedoms)
Children in Simpson County schools are required to wear face masks while in class to reduce the spread of the coronavirus.
A boy wearing a face mask to protect against the spread of the novel coronavirus juggles with a ball prior to a football match with his team of Football Player Academy (FPA) Las Rozas in Las Rozas, outside Madrid, on October 24, 2020. (Photo by Gabriel BOUYS / AFP) (Photo by GABRIEL BOUYS/AFP via Getty Images)
The defendants are asking the federal judge to declare the school district’s policy unconstitutional.
The family who filed suit are represented by Alliance Depending Freedom, a nonprofit based in Arizona that advocates on “issues of religious freedom, sanctity of life, and marriage and family.”