A Christian legal group has offered to defend a high school student who was reportedly punished by her school administration for saying ‘Bless You’ in class after a friend sneezed. The religious legal organization, Liberty Institute, sent a demand letter to Dyer County High School in Tennessee asking the officials to apologize to Kendra Turner for reprimanding her in front of others after she said ‘Bless You.’

“It is unlawful for a school official to kick a student out of class for quietly blessing another student after she sneezes. School officials must follow the rules of the Constitution just like students must follow the reasonable rules of the classroom,” said Liberty Institute Senior Counsel Jeremiah Dys.

The incident took place earlier this month when Turner, who is a senior at the school, said ‘Bless You’ to a classmate, after which the teacher told her that the phrase was meant to be used in church. Apparently, Turner tried to defend herself and that is when she was sent to the school administrator and ordered an in-school suspension for the remaining period.

“She said that we're not going to have godly speaking in her class and that's when I said we have a constitutional right,” said Turner.

Action News 5 - Memphis, Tennessee

Students sent local media pictures of the teacher’s whiteboard that lists a variety of words and expressions, which are not meant to be used in class. “Bless you’ is one of them. Turner said she does not want trouble for her teacher but she will definitely stand up for her faith. The teacher and administrator defended themselves saying Turner was acting disruptively and aggressively, which is why they were compelled to reprimand her the way they did.

Photo Credit: Philadelphia Local News