Minnesota —
FFRF reminded the Fergus Falls Public Schools system that speakers must not be allowed to promote religion to children.
A district parent reported that on Jan. 23, Kennedy Secondary School hosted Christian evangelist Bob Lenz for an assembly during the school day. FFRF learned that Lenz invited students to a pizza party at the school at 7 p.m. that night. According to his website, Lenz “shares the love of Jesus to give teens hope for this life and the next.” His public school programming included coordinating an evening program with local churches “where students hear an interactive and compelling message on the love of God and are given an opportunity to respond to the gospel.”
“Allowing an evangelical minister even one-time access to recruit students and encourage their attendance at a religious event is a violation of the Establishment Clause,” FFRF Anne Nicol Gaylor Legal Fellow Kyle J. Steinberg wrote.
Thanks to FFRF’s work, district superintendent Jeff Drake assured that while the assembly remained consistent with the values of the district’s middle schools, “the presenter did err in promoting an evening event at the end of his assembly. We have taken steps to ensure this doesn’t happen in the future.” Drake promised that the district does have policies regarding the use of facilities, and they will continue to apply the policy with consistency to ensure that all groups are treated fairly going forward.
