SOURCE: WisPolitics: WILL challenges Arrowhead School District for religious censorship
A Wisconsin school district is facing the prospect of legal action after a recent graduate says administrators blocked her from sharing a Bible verse and a faith-based message during her graduation ceremony while allowing classmates to include pop culture references, social media culture, and other personal messages.
Sarianne Beronja, an 18-year-old graduate of Arrowhead High School in Hartland, says she submitted Proverbs 3:6 for inclusion in a commencement slideshow that displayed messages from graduating seniors during the June 6 ceremony.
The verse read: “In all your ways, acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your path.”
According to a demand letter sent by the Wisconsin Institute for Law & Liberty, school officials informed Beronja late on the night before graduation that the verse could not be displayed because it referenced religion.
Beronja then attempted to submit an alternative message: “All thanks to God for being beside me through these last four years.”
That message was reportedly rejected as well.
The dispute has quickly become the latest flashpoint in the growing national debate over religious liberty in public schools. Attorneys representing Beronja argue that the school was not being asked to endorse Christianity or promote a religious message on behalf of the district. Rather, they contend she was simply seeking the same opportunity granted to other students to express something personally meaningful during a milestone event.
In video released by her attorneys, Beronja explained why the verse mattered to her. “It helped exemplify my time in high school and how much I experienced there and really wrapped it all together,” she said.
The legal challenge points to what attorneys describe as a troubling inconsistency. According to the complaint, other students were permitted to include references to rapper Wiz Khalifa, the reality dating show Love Island, and even requests for Venmo donations to help fund college expenses.
Beronja’s attorneys argue that if those messages were acceptable, a brief expression of faith should receive the same constitutional protection. The letter also notes that students in previous graduating classes allegedly included references to God and scripture without issue.
School district officials reject accusations of religious discrimination. Arrowhead Union High School District Superintendent Conrad Farner told local media that the slideshow constituted “school-sponsored speech” rather than a public forum for unrestricted student expression.
“The slideshow was never meant to be a forum for ANY religious or political viewpoints,” Farner said in a written statement. He cited the Supreme Court’s ruling in Hazelwood School District v. Kuhlmeier, which allows public schools to exercise editorial control over school-sponsored activities when tied to legitimate educational concerns.
Farner further argued that allowing political or religious messages could invite controversy and create disruptions during the ceremony.
Beronja’s family strongly disputes that reasoning. Her mother, Lora Engel, said the timing of the rejection raised additional concerns. “They notified her at 11:46 p.m. the day before graduation,” Engel said. “It makes it feel like they didn’t want us to say anything about it.”
Attorneys for Beronja are demanding a public apology, recognition that religious viewpoints enjoy the same constitutional protections as comparable secular viewpoints, and assurances that future students will not face similar restrictions. For now, both sides appear dug in.
Let’s see if I’ve got this straight.
A student can’t quote the Bible. A student can’t thank God. But apparently references to Love Island, Venmo accounts, and rap lyrics don’t pose a threat to civilization. Welcome to modern public education.
Administrators insist the graduation slideshow was not a place for “religious or political viewpoints.” Sounds nice. Sounds neutral. Sounds reasonable.
Until you discover that all sorts of other personal messages somehow made the cut.
Funny how these rules always seem to work in one direction.
When a student wants to celebrate faith, suddenly officials become constitutional scholars. They start citing Supreme Court precedents, discussing educational concerns, and warning about controversy.
When students want to reference reality television, celebrity culture, social media, or whatever else happens to be trending on TikTok this week, nobody seems worried about maintaining a carefully curated ideological neutrality.
Imagine being so terrified of a single sentence from Proverbs that you fire off a rejection email at 11:46 p.m. the night before graduation.
The verse in question wasn’t inflammatory. It wasn’t partisan. It wasn’t attacking anyone. It simply said, “In all your ways, acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your path.”
For generations, that sentiment would have been viewed as entirely normal in American life. Today, in some corners of our educational establishment, thanking God is apparently considered more controversial than advertising your Venmo account.
The good news is that Americans are increasingly noticing these double standards. Parents are noticing. Students are noticing. Courts are noticing. And every time a school district bends over backward to erase even the mildest expression of faith while claiming to champion diversity and inclusion, they end up making the argument against themselves.
TDBS SOURCES:
- Fox News: Wisconsin student alleges school barred her from using Bible verse at graduation
- New York Post: Wisconsin student alleges high school prohibited her from using Bible verse at graduation
- WisPolitics: WILL challenges Arrowhead School District for religious censorship
- YouTube (local Wisconsin coverage): Arrowhead grad’s Bible verse denied; superintendent cites policy
