Photo by Arpit Rastogi on Unsplash
The Freedom From Religion Foundation has persuaded the West Chester Area School District, located in Exton, Pa., to stop a teacher from leading a religious club and pressuring students to advance an explicitly Christian religious organization.
FFRF learned that a social studies teacher was leading a religious club for students in his classroom every Thursday morning at J.R. Fuggett Middle School before homeroom. During those gatherings, Nefos preached Christianity to attending students.
Additionally, on Jan. 23, during class time, the teacher ran a mandatory “assembly” for all sixth-grade students, in which he promoted Pamoza International, a Christian missionary organization, under the pretext of the “Africa” curricular unit. Pamoza International states that its mission is to “share the Gospel,” with its first listed initiative being “character through Christian outreach,” which it does by facilitating bible study groups and prayer. Reportedly, the teacher encouraged all students to donate and help raise money for the organization during the assembly. Additionally, it was reported that all sixth-grade social studies students were required to attend the assembly instead of class and were not given the opportunity to opt out.
FFRF stood up to defend students’ rights and ensured that the district corrected this violation.
“Public school teachers may not take advantage of their positions to gather students in order to promote an evangelizing religious organization,” FFRF Staff Attorney Madeline Ziegler wrote to the district.
Both the religious club before homeroom and the assembly were in violation of the First Amendment. Under the Equal Access Act, a federal law governing student clubs, school personnel may not lawfully initiate or run religious student groups. They must be initiated and run by students, which was not the case in this situation. Additionally, religious employees and organizations may not treat schools as a recruiting ground for their religious mission. It demonstrates an unlawful preference not only for religion over nonreligion, but in this case also Christianity over all other faiths. Thirty-eight percent of Americans are non-Christian, including almost 30 percent who are nonreligious. By allowing a teacher to lead a religious club and host religious assemblies, the district marginalized these nonreligious and non-Christian students.
FFRF’s work paid off, and corrective action was taken.
The district’s legal representative, Amanda J. Sundquist, confirmed that an investigation took place after FFRF’s letter was received.
“Appropriate steps have been taken to ensure that any student club activities are both student-initiated and student-led, and that any staff involvement aligns with applicable legal requirements,” Sundquist wrote. “In addition, guidance has been provided to building leadership to reinforce expectations regarding instructional practices and assemblies, including the importance of maintaining institutional neutrality with respect to religion and ensuring that any faculty presentations or activities during the school day are secular in purpose and consistent with curriculum standards.” Sundquist also confirmed that the district implemented additional administrative oversight and staff communication to ensure that further violations would not occur.
FFRF is pleased to see an outcome that prioritizes students over religious indoctrination.
“Our public schools exist to educate, not to indoctrinate in religion. All students, religious and nonreligious, must feel welcome and deserve to learn in an environment free from proselytizing,” says FFRF Co-President Annie Laurie Gaylor. “We appreciate that the school district is now standing up for the rights of a captive audience of children.”
The Freedom From Religion Foundation is a U.S.-based nonprofit dedicated to defending the constitutional principle of separation between state and church and educating the public on matters relating to nontheism. With more than 41,000 members, including over 1,200 members in Pennsylvania, FFRF is the largest association of freethinkers (atheists, agnostics and humanists) in North America. For more information, visit ffrf.org.
