Christian student cries foul after being forbidden from sharing Bible verse at graduation  

A Christian student is threatening legal action against her Wisconsin high school after her religious freedoms were allegedly violated.

When Sarianne Beronja recently graduated from Arrowhead High School in Hartland, west of Milwaukee, she was prohibited from sharing a Bible verse as part of a short personal message each senior can include in a graduation slideshow.

Beronja, a Christian, submitted Proverbs 3:6, which says, “In all your ways, acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your path.” However, the night before the ceremony, she received an email from district officials saying the slideshow could not include religious statements.

Beronja tried to submit a simple personal message, “All thanks to God for being beside me through these last four years,” but was denied again.

Now, she is partnering with the Wisconsin Institute for Law & Liberty (WILL), alleging her First Amendment rights were violated.

“Separation of Church and State’ is not an excuse to erase the viewpoints of students of faith,” said WILL Deputy Counsel Cory Brewer. “Arrowhead invited students to express themselves and approved countless secular messages, but when Sarianne shared a Bible verse that reflected her faith, school officials censored it. That’s unconstitutional.  

“We are calling on the school board to immediately correct this violation and ensure no future student is subject to similar discrimination.”

WILL sent the school a letter on June 30, asking it to reverse its anti-religion policy.

“The question is whether students were permitted to express themselves only if their message was non-religious. The answer appears to be yes,” the letter read. “A student who thanked parents, coaches, teachers or friends could apparently participate. A student who thanked God could not.” 

Arrowhead Union High School District Superintendent Conrad Farner defended the school’s actions, saying the slideshow couldn’t be religious because it constituted “school-sponsored speech.”

“The slideshow was never meant to be a forum for any religious or political viewpoints,” Farner told Fox News. “It is an extremely brief picture of each graduate that allows for an extremely brief thank you or future plans. Again, the slideshow is district-sponsored speech, not a public forum.”

He added, “Our attorney has advised us that if we were to allow religious and political views, we have to allow all such views. If that was allowed, there is no controlling what sorts of statements might be submitted.”

However, WILL pointed out that previous graduation slideshows included both Bible verses and personal messages referencing God, as well as pop culture references, song lyrics and even a student sharing their Venmo profile to help pay for college.

Beronja’s mother, Lora Engel, feels the school policy was “selectively applied” against her daughter and is proud she is standing up for her faith.

“I didn’t want my daughter to think it was wrong to stand up for something she believes in,” Engel said. “Standing by your convictions isn’t always easy and expressing one’s faith can come with challenges.”

Since her younger children will soon be enrolled at Arrowhead, Engel has a vested interest in ensuring the school doesn’t discriminate against religious students.

In its letter to the school, WILL has filed an open records request, asked for an apology for Beronja and demanded any policy barring religious student speech to be rescinded.