what, to me, as a former school teacher, and as someone who will sit for the VA bar in july, makes this a pretty clear cut ruling is this:
"Lee argued that his bulletin boards at the school in Yorktown, about 65 miles southeast of Richmond, were a limited public forum open for teachers' private expression and speech."
BEEEEPPPP....wrongo...sorry....
By that theory a teacher could post literature encouraging membership in the KKK for example...so long as the speech was not meant to intimidate or was not intended to cite imminent lawlessness (these are the Virginia v. Black and Brandenberg standards...,man I am quoting this a lot)...school bulletin boards are not forums for private expression...in my mind this ruling is spot on...keep in mind too, that the Fourth Circuit and associated federal courts is the MOST conservative circuit in the country...if they found it too far, it probably was too far
You are right though, religion can be taught...favoring christianity cannot...had the guy posted a board about religion in general he would have been fine...
Honestly, the national prayer day is instituted by Congress...had he encouraged students, regardless of faith, to do whatever is appropriate for them on that day he would have been fine...
it is, of course, one of the greatest contradiction we as Americans indulge in...
Our national motto is "In God We Trust"
We all know about the Pledge of Allegiance issues...
Im not saying its right or wrong, but it is certainly confusing...