School District Removes Jesus Portrait

The Jackson City School district has taken down a portrait of Jesus because of concerns about the costs of defending the district against a federal lawsuit filed by the American Civil Liberties Union of Ohio and the Wisconsin-based Freedom From Religion Foundation.The superintendent says the district's insurance company declined to cover litigation expenses. The suit filed on behalf of a student and two parents claimed the portrait on display first at a middle school then a high school violates the constitutional separation of church and state. An ACLU spokesperson says the lawsuit remains in effect, but will be dropped if the portrait stays down.