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SALT LAKE CITY — A tentative settlement has been reached in the on-going controversy over a portrait of Jesus that was on display at school in Ohio for more than 65 years.
The Columbus Dispatch reports both sides have reached a tentative settlement that could end a federal lawsuit over the matter.
Two parents and a student, supported by the American Civil Liberties Union of Ohio, sued the Jackson school district in February. The district took the picture down in April. But the Dispatch says court records indicate the picture remained in the building, in view of those entering the art-room storage area. It says the portrait also was displayed on the school lawn during a prayer meeting in May.
Those actions prompted the threat of new legal action until the settlement was announced earlier this month. Neither side will discuss details of the agreement, which must be submitted to the court within 90 days.
The picture, which the school board said was donated by the religion-centered Hi-Y club, was on display in either Jackson High School or the nearby middle school since 1947.
The lawsuit called displaying the picture an unconstitutional endorsement of religion. The school board contended the Hi-Y group had a right to hang it in the school, and it appeared with other pictures in a "hall of honor."
