Flap Could Have Been Avoided

Evan Fales

Iowa City Press-Citizen

May 2, 2006

It's fortunate that the Iowa City School Board's attitude toward the First Amendment is not "Sheesh" -- even though it took a complaint from the Freedom From Religion Foundation to remind them of the problem of allowing the rent-free use of the West High gymnasium for a church fund-raiser. Finding another, legal venue for such a game should be an easy matter.

The fact that so many people in our town don't understand the requirements of the First Amendment, or believe that its application should somehow be a matter decided by public opinion, shows how precarious our precious freedoms are.

At least the School Board understood this, and are to be commended for reversing themselves. But perhaps this flap could have been avoided if they'd thought the matter through a bit more carefully in the first place.

Evan Fales
Iowa City