Don’t mess with the Bible in Texas. The cheerleaders at Kountze High School in East Texas took their words of encouragement to a whole new level when they wrote Bible verses on the banners that football players run through when taking the field. After the banners, with phrases like “And let us run with endurance the race God has set before us” (Hebrews 12:1), caught the eye of the Wisconsin-based Freedom From Religion Foundation, the cheerleaders were told by the school district to keep God off of their signs. In response, the 15 cheerleaders and their parents sued the district, claiming the ban violated the students’ freedoms of religion and speech. “As students, we still have rights,” cheerleader Rebekah Richardson told the Associated Press. “As Christians, not only is it our right, but it’s our job. It’s our duty as Christians to share the word with other people, and that’s what we want to do.” After nationwide outcry on both sides of the debate, Governor Rick Perry intervened, saying the ban was “a great insult,” and a judge issued a temporary injunction that allowed the cheerleaders to use the banners for the rest of the season. No word yet on what will happen next season.
U.S. News
Thanks for liking TIME’s Top 10 Everything of 2012 List. Like TIME on Facebook now for more breaking news and current events from around the globe.
10. Go, Fight, Win: Texas Cheerleaders and the B-I-B-L-E
Full List
Top 10 Education Stories
- 10. Go, Fight, Win: Texas Cheerleaders and the B-I-B-L-E
- 9. The Rise of the Digital Textbook
- 8. Harvard’s Cheating Scandal
- 7. Shaming the For-Profit Colleges
- 6. Bypassing No Child Left Behind
- 5. The Ever-Worsening Student Loan Crisis
- 4. UVA President Ousted—Then Reinstated
- 3. Malala and the Fight for Girls’ Education Worldwide
- 2. Chicago Teachers Hit the Picket Lines
- 1. Planet of the MOOCs
Top 10 U.S. News Stories
- 10. The American Energy Boom
- 9. The Grim Toll of Military Suicides
- 8. Obama’s Gay Marriage Awakening
- 7. The Fall of Gen. David Petraeus
- 6. Amnesty for the Undocumented?
- 5. Mayhem at Aurora and Oak Creek
- 4. The Killing of Trayvon Martin
- 3. ‘Obamacare’ Upheld
- 2. Hurricane Sandy
- 1. President Obama Reelected to Fix a Struggling Economy