Georgia
Calhoun (Ga.) City Schools had to take lessons from FFRF after a teacher placed religious fliers in students’ folders.
A student’s parent reported that during the second week of September, Calhoun Elementary School distributed fliers for a religious organization to all students. The fliers promoted attendance at the Heritage Baptist Church of Calhoun’s “Ignite 3:16” club. The complainant had to speak with their children about how inappropriate the flier was, and how other religion’s pamphlets shouldn’t be handed out at school.
“School-sponsored distributions of religious material carry the stamp of official school approval,” FFRF Staff Attorney Sammi Lawrence wrote to the district.
Hieu M. Nguyen of the Pereira, Kirby, Kingsinger, & Nguyen law firm represented the district when replying to FFRF. Nguyen clarified that only one class of students received these fliers, and that the district normally only sends home materials related to school events or school-sponsored events. “The teacher in this case inadvertently sent this flier home with students in her class. School administrators have already spoken with the teacher about her mistake,” Nguyen wrote.
