CINCINNATI—A federal appeals court heard arguments July 25 from a religious liberty group that opposed mandated anti-harassment training at an eastern Kentucky high school.

The Alliance Defense Fund sued on behalf of a group of parents and Timothy Allen Morrison, a student at Boyd County High School, where the training was implemented.

The Arizona-based group alleged that Morrison and other students were prohibited from speaking out against homosexuality at the school.

The policy at the high school has since been amended with input from the Christian group and the American Civil Liberties Union, Oster said.

The American Civil Liberties Union joined the case on behalf of the school district in an effort to keep the training classes in place. But the ACLU told the court that anti-gay policies also need to respect the First Amendment rights of students.

U.S. District Judge David Bunning ruled in February 2006 that Morrison and other students had no religious or free speech right to opt out of the training.