The Potomac Highlands Dispatch - the online newspaper

Head of Cumberland group upset at board's covering of group logo
* The Cumberland Historic Cemetery Organization donated portaits of George Washington to local schools.

* School officials were told to cover up group's logo because logo included Christian cross

By Kevin Spradlin
PhDispatch.com
CUMBERLAND, May 12 -- The head of the Cumberland Historic Cemetery Organization is upset that Allegany County Board of Education officials covered up his group's seal on two portraits of George Washington.

The portraits were donated by the group to Braddock and Washington middle schools. David Cox, schools superintendent, said the group's logo was "problematic" and that the board's display of the logo, which includes a Christian cross, "possibly does violate the Establishment Clause of the First Amendment."

Edward W. Taylor Jr., CHCO president, appeared before the Board of Education on Tuesday during the board's regular monthly public meeting. Taylor said the board members would not explain to him why the seal was covered up.

Cox said the inclusion of the cross was part of the reason why former Superintendent Bill AuMiller denied permission to distribute the CHCO's pamphlet on the history of Confederate flags a couple of years ago.

"One of the issues (then) was because there is this logo of the (CHCO) that prominently has a cross in the logo," Cox told PhDispatch.com in a recent phone interview.

Cox said while the logo was covered, the text of the logo - which included the fact the portraits were donated by the CHCO - was written in its place. Read the complete story Friday.