“It is a matter of historical fact that our institutions and government actors have in past and present times given place to a supreme God.”

The classroom walls of San Diego’s Westview High are a monument to freedom of speech and religion. Over the years, teachers have attached an eclectic collection of expressions that includes Tibetan prayer flags, John Lennon lyrics (“Imagine there’s no heaven”), Gandhi’s “7 Social Sins,” photos of Malcolm X and Nirvana, an image of Buddha, bumper stickers that tell students to “Celebrate Diversity” and “Dare to Think for Yourself,” and — thanks to a federal judge’s ruling last week — four banners that include the word “God.”

Three years ago, in a confounding display of political correctness, school district officials ordered 30-year math teacher Bradley Johnson — and only Johnson — to remove the expressions on his classroom walls because they “over-emphasized God.” The banners said: “In God We Trust”, “One Nation Under God”, “God Bless America” and “God Shed His Grace on Thee.” Johnson looked around at the other teachers’ walls, did the math and took his case to court. Last week, U.S. Dist. Judge Roger T. Benitez ruled in favor of Johnson:

“By opening classroom walls to the non-disruptive expression of all its teachers, the district provides students with a healthy exposure to the diverse ideas and opinions of its individual teachers. Fostering diversity, however, does not mean bleaching out historical religious expression or mainstream morality.”