Student Forced To Remove 'Jesus Loves Me' Facemask, But Others Can Keep 'BLM'

The Alliance Defending Freedom is fighting for a third-grade girl's right to wear a "Jesus Loves Me" mask to her public school in Mississippi.

Lydia Booth was told to remove her mask by her Simpson Elementary School principal back in October. Lydia's mom, Jennifer Booth, said she was initially told the mask violated school policy because it had words on it. But when she pointed out that a policy of "no words on masks" didn't actually exist, the Simpson County School District superintendent retorted by telling the Booths that the policy bans masks with political, religious or inappropriate symbols.

That decision prompted the involvement of ADF, which has filed a federal lawsuit against the school district.

ADF senior counsel Tyson Langhofer told the Todd Starnes Radio Show on Thursday that the school district engaged in “viewpoint discrimination,” especially given that other students have been permitted to wear “Black Lives Matter” masks.

“We were forced to file a lawsuit in order to just allow this third-grader to just express this positive message to the students around her that Jesus loves me,” Langhofer said.

The school also changed its policy after the fact, justifying its decision and refusing to accommodate Lydia, Langhofer said.

“Apparently, they believe religious messages in class or in schools are inappropriate, but they allowed other masks with all kinds of other messages on it,” Langhofer told Starnes. “If you allow others to express messages on their masks, you have to allow people to express religious messages.”

Simpson Central School can be reached at 601-847-2630.