Teacher involvement in religious club ends (May 15, 2023)

After FFRF got involved, a middle school in the Corcoran Unified School District in California has moved to ensure that teachers will have no part in the student religious club.

An employee of John Muir Middle School reached out to FFRF in regard to a staff-wide email from one of the teachers encouraging staff to donate and help send students to the Christian youth ministryā€™s Young Life Wyldlife summer camp. Two other teachers cosigned this document.

ā€œWe write to request that the district immediately investigate this situation and ensure that all religious clubs are run by students and not adults in accordance with the Equal Access Act and the United States Constitution,ā€ FFRF Equal Justice Fellow Kat Grant wrote in a letter to Superintendent Eduardo Ochoa.

Ochoa responded to FFRF via email, stating that he has spoken with the principal of the middle school. ā€œHe is addressing the situation so that a repeat action of what took place does not happen again. He is speaking with all three of the adult staff members listed on the email as to why the adults need to be in a nonparticipatory capacity and what that translates to in real action.ā€

Ochoa assured FFRF that all religious clubs on campuses will be completely student-run in the future.

Freedom From Religion Foundation