Earlier this week, the Fox affiliate in Kansas City, Missouri, ran a report alleging that a local middle school student had been told by his teacher that he was not allowed to read his Bible in school during his free time:

The parents of a middle school student are upset because they say a teacher told their 12-year-old son he couldn’t read his favorite book in school, his Bible. The parents say their son’s fundamental rights were violated.

Loyal Grandstaff’s parents say they’re taking a “grand stance” to stand up for their son’s freedom of religion after they say a teacher told their son he couldn’t read his Bible in school.

Loyal says he loves reading his Bible and decided to bring it to school before the Christmas break so he could read it during his free time. But the seventh grader said his teacher told him it wasn’t allowed.

“I like to read my Bible because it’s a good book,” Loyal said.

He said he wasn’t reading out loud and said he wasn’t sharing the Bible with his classmates.

“I was just reading, just reading because I had free time. A time to do what I wanted to, so I just broke it out and read,” he explained.

“I feel like it violated his freedom of religion but also his freedom of speech,” Loyal’s dad, Justin Grandstaff, said.