Saddleback Valley : Order Backing Notices by Religious Groups Denied

An Orange County court commissioner Tuesday refused to grant a temporary order against the Saddleback Valley Unified School District that would have allowed two seniors to advertise meetings of their lunch-hour religious discussion groups on school grounds.

Superior Court Commissioner Greer Stroud did, however, set a hearing for June 3 before a judge to determine whether the district has good reasons for refusing to allow the seniors to distribute flyers and take out a yearbook advertisement notifying other students of the noontime discussion meetings.

The commissioner’s actions Tuesday came as the result of a lawsuit filed Monday on behalf of Alexander Perumal, 18, of El Toro High School, and Frederick Read, 17, of Mission Viejo High School. The suit rekindled a 5-year-old controversy in the district over equal access for religious groups that want to meet on campus during school hours.