Georgia High School Bars Religious Banners at Football Games

Lakeview-Fort Oglethorpe High School in Georgia recently banned Bible verses from student banners at...

Lakeview-Fort Oglethorpe High School in Georgia recently banned Bible verses from student banners at football games as they gave the impression that the school was endorsing a religion. In the stands, though, there were signs of solidarity to retain a Christian spirit, with some hand-made signs bearing religious statements.

(ABC News)

Mayor Says Kids Never Intended to Offend Anyone

Donna Jackson, the mother who filed the complaint, said she never complained about the signs, but was only looking out for the school district and the possibility that it or its personnel could be sued.

"I did call the superintendent to express concern that the cheerleaders' sign be done in such a way that all involved were within the ever-changing and very confusing lines drawn by the federal courts about such things," she said in a text statement.

"The students and the cheerleaders, the football players, we all -- as a student organization -- want to do it," said Zack Lewis, a Lakeview-Fort Oglethorpe football player. "Not just the teachers, but the students and the whole community."

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Students and faculty aren't the only ones disappointed by the school board's decision. Community members are also speaking out over the banners no longer being allowed at the high school football games. On "Good Morning America Weekend," Fort Oglethorpe Mayor Ronnie Cobb expressed his support for the students who brought the religious message into the stands Friday night.

"I applaud them, support them and the entire community and most of the nation now is behind them," he said.

Rob Boston, of the group Americans United for the Separation of Church and State, counters, "These cheerleaders with their religious banners that quote from the Bible are definitely in violation of that long-standing rule. My advice to them would be if you want to promote religious, do that at your church, not in your public school."

Playing without their traditional banner, the Warriors ended up losing the game by a score of 34 to zero. The game may have ended in disappointment for sports fans, but Mayor Cobb insists the community still came out on top.

"I would love to see in the future the possibility of banners coming back," he said. "I don't want it to be offensive to anyone, and these kids don't either. It wasn't their intent to start with. It's a show of solidarity of the community."