Georgia
FFRF worked to remove a religious representative from the Elbert County Comprehensive High School (Ga.) football program.
FFRF learned that an adult “character coach” from the Granite City FCA was allowed to preach and pray with students in the district’s football program. They had been acting as a de facto chaplain and had been allowed to spread Christian messages to students while having special access to the team’s locker rooms, training and games.
“It is beyond the scope of a public school system to institute a position which conflates character and religiosity, and which will inevitably involve advocating Christianity to students,” FFRF Staff Attorney Chris Line wrote to the district.
In response to FFRF’s criticisms, legal representative for the district Cory O. Kirby wrote back to inform FFRF that the First Amendment would be respected in the future. “The superintendent met with each principal as well as the high school and middle school athletic directors to discuss the issues,” Kirby wrote. “The district is confident that all of its schools make good faith efforts to fully comply with the requirements of the Constitution and protect the rights of all parties.”
