A recent Arrowhead High School graduate expressed her disappointment to the Arrowhead School Board on June 10 about being prohibited from using a Bible verse for her senior quote in the graduation ceremony's slideshow.

Sarianne Beronja had wanted to use the verse Proverbs 3:6, which says, "In all your ways, acknowledge Him, and he shall direct your path," during the school's June 6 graduation ceremony. She said administration told her the verse would not be allowed because of district policy.

"My faith is the very core of my identity and is what gave me the strength to navigate high school, as it is the foundation of what I plan to build my future," she told the board during the meeting's public comment period.

Beronja said she submitted a backup option – "All thanks to God for being beside me through these last four years" – since students were allowed to use their slides to give thank yous. That request was also denied.

"To be told that I had to strip away this part of who I am even when framing it as a standard thank you feels like a full rejection of my journey," she said.

Beronja also said that two years ago, a graduating student was allowed to use a Bible verse.

"This leaves myself and several other students wondering why a standard that was perfectly acceptable then is being denied to us now," she said. "Allowing a student to include a religious verse or statement of gratitude in a voluntary, personal quote does not constitute the school endorsing a religion. Rather, it demonstrates that our district truly values consistency, diversity and inclusion. True inclusivity means creating a space where all students feel seen and respected under the same set of rules.

"I may have already crossed the stage, but I am here tonight because the students who come after me deserve better. I ask the board to review how this policy was interpreted this year, look at the precedent set in 2024 and ensure that future graduating classes are met with true inclusivity, consistency and respect for their identities and journeys," she said.

In an interview after the board's public comment period, Beronja said other students also had their graduation slideshow selections denied.

Beronja's mother, Lora Engel, said she, too, was disappointed – not only by the district's decision to deny use of the verse, but also by the lack of a clear and timely explanation of the decision.

Engel said her daughter was not informed of the denial until hours before graduation.

She questioned the district's consistency in applying its standards, noting that just two weeks earlier students performed religious selections in a choir concert. She also said an Arrowhead School Board member, whom she did not name, read a prayer during a September board meeting.

In an email, Arrowhead Superintendent Conrad Farner explained that district policy allows such musical selections. "There was a time when most classical music was written by/for churches/religions so to exclude all of that music would limit our students' exposure to pieces that are excellent for their development," he said.

He also said there is a difference between a school board member praying as a private individual before or after a meeting and the district administration following laws, policies and legal advice in overseeing daily operations.

"The administration has no control or oversight of school board members' choices, either in their duties as board members or as private citizens," he said.

In a June 11 email to a reporter, Farner said only six or seven students, out of more than 500, submitted comments with religious connotations.

"Rather than saying they were 'denied' something, it is far more accurate to say they did not follow unambiguous directions and were simply told to do so," he said. "After being reminded of the directions/expectations, the students submitted appropriate comments without any issue."

"The truth to this matter is an extremely small number of students/parents do not understand the law around this issue. Instead of accepting our expectations and trying to learn/understand the legal explanations and teaching students the importance of following reasonable directions and the law, they chose to go to the media," Farner said.

The School Board did not respond to Beronja and Engel's comments or address them since the topic was not on the agenda.

District says denial was in line with law and policy

In an email to a reporter before the meeting, Farner said students were explicitly told the graduation ceremony slide deck is not for expressing religious or political views.

Farner said the district provided the same directions to last year's graduates and there were no issues.

"Expecting students to follow these simple directions is far from unreasonable. It is also consistent with the expectations of every classroom, and every other district event, which is similar to what all public schools do," he said.

Farner said if Bible verses were included in graduation slides in 2024, it was likely because it was the first year for the rule and that "the expectation was not emphasized as strongly or understood at all." He acknowledged that implementation was not perfect.

He said the district sought legal advice last year and was told "to avoid any and all political and religious comments," which the district has held to since then.

Farner said the law generally views a public school's graduation slideshow as school-sponsored speech and not a public forum. He said a Supreme Court ruling, Hazelwood School District v. Kuhlmeier, allows school administrators "to edit, restrict, and otherwise control school-sponsored expressive activities as long as their reasons are reasonably related to legitimate educational concerns."

Farner also cited the district's policy on religious activities and observances that says students' expression of their religious beliefs "may be limited to lunch periods or other non-instructional time periods when students are free to associate, or on an individual basis in a manner that does not disrupt the educational process.”

"This policy language identifies that students can express their religious views on an individual basis outside of instructional time," Farner wrote in his email. "The graduation ceremony is a district-sponsored, large-group event where expressing a religious belief with thousands of people is clearly not sharing on an individual basis."

Farner said the district considers its graduation ceremony "to be no different than any classroom setting or other district event."

"As a public school district, we do not promote/facilitate political or religious expressions in our classrooms or at district events. Applying the same standard to graduation is consistent with our usual operations as a public school district," he said.

Was your graduation note not allowed?

Take our survey and let us know if your high school graduation note was prohibited.

Reporting by Alec Johnson, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel / Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect