C. J. Huff dropped as defendant in Jane Doe lawsuit

An amended complaint was filed by lawyers for Jane Doe and her children today adding Joplin R-8 Interim Superintendent Norm Ridder as a defendant in a First Amendment lawsuit brought on by a North Middle School field trip to Victory Ministries and Sports Complex in May.

Former Superintendent C. J. Huff is no longer a defendant.

Court records indicate that Huff was shown a consent form (pictured above) that was given to North students which said, "We understand that the officers, officials, agents, other participants and employees of Victory Ministry and Sports Complex may be inviting me or my (our) students to Bible studies or local churches of the Christian faith. While at any Victory Ministry and Sports Complex location or event (my) our students has permission to participate in worship services, Bible studies, or any other activities that may pertain to the Christian faith."

When this was brought to Huff's attention along with the strong possibility that legal action might be filed, Huff responded as follows:

Thank you for your email regarding your concerns over the field trip to Victory Gym. The trip is a celebration for the hard work the students did this year. The students voted for this location. The activities and approaches are completely secular in nature. The permission slip was the standard waiver of Victory Gym. We have not had any parents contact us about concerns, but if they do, we will assure them the secular nature of the trip. Your email brings a good point for us to review the waivers of locations better so our communication can be clearer. I believe removing the language on the waiver would have created more clarity and removed the confusion for the parents regarding the nature of the trip. Definitely something for us to be diligent towards in the future. Thank you, again. CJ