Virginia —
FFRF gave the Rockingham County (Va.) Public Schools a lesson on constitutional compliance after the district posted fliers advocating for participation in an explicitly religious event.
A district parent reported that on March 18, 2024, Elkton Elementary school posted to its official Facebook page a photo from a Weekday Religious Education (WRE) student choral event hosted the previous weekend at James Madison University. The caption included quotes referencing God, such as “You can’t say God is not present in our schools and with our students . . . Thank you to Dr. Larry Shifflett and the School Board for allowing the children to have pull out time to attend WRE and learn about God and all he does for us.”
“A public school violates the Constitution when it promotes religion and encourages students to participate in religious release time activities,” FFRF Staff Attorney Madeline Ziegler wrote to the district.
FFRF received word from legal representative Daniel P. Rose that the district would no longer promote religious events on social media.
“RCPS has looked into this matter, and, as you acknowledge in your letter, the posts have been removed,” Rose wrote. “Further, measures have been taken to ensure that posts like this do not occur in the future.”
