Minnesota —
FFRF is pleased to see a religious shrine removed from a counselor’s office in Minnesota’s Mankato Area Public School system.
A concerned district employee reported that a school counselor at Mankato West High School had been using his position to promote his personal religious beliefs to students. FFRF’s complainant reported that the counselor displayed religious iconography in his office, including a basket of crosses for students to take. FFRF also learned that the counselor had previously displayed a religious shrine in his office that was taken down at the district’s request, but the shrine had been set up again, along with other religious items.
FFRF Anne Nicol Gaylor Legal Fellow Kyle J. Steinberg wrote to Mankato Area Public Schools Superintendent Paul Peterson. “Offering crosses to students is highly coercive in such a personal environment.” After FFRF’s letter, the district took action.
“Immediately upon receiving your letter, I met with the principal of West High School to review the situation and ensure that appropriate corrective action was taken,” Peterson responded. “The display in question has been removed, and I have full confidence that this matter has been resolved in a manner consistent with our obligation to maintain religious neutrality.”
