(ChurchLeaders) A high school in Hillsdale, Mich., that was preventing valedictorian Elizabeth Turner from mentioning her faith in Jesus in her graduation speech has backed off. Following a letter from law firm First Liberty Institute, officials with Hillsdale High School decided to allow Turner to mention her religious beliefs at her graduation ceremony.
“We are grateful to school officials for acting swiftly to ensure that religious students can freely exercise their right to express their faith in a graduation speech,” said Keisha Russell, Counsel for First Liberty Institute, in a news release on May 27. Russell, along with First Liberty’s Mike Berry, was responsible for sending a letter to Hillsdale Principal Amy Goldsmith, requesting that she stop limiting Turner’s religious expression.