Florida —
FFRF’s action helped bring an end to the Sarasota County Schools’ intermingling of a Fellowship of Christian Athletes (FCA) representative’s role as chaplain to the North Port High Schools baseball team.
FFRF learned that North Port High School was permitting an adult representative from the fellowship to minister to the baseball team as a religious chaplain. A Feb. 8 post from the official Sarasota County FCA Facebook account tagged the high school’s team, writing that they “are praying over each coach and player by name.”
FFRF knew that action was needed to put a stop to the district’s constitutional misconduct.
“A public high school allowing an outside adult to act as a religious adviser to other people’s children is unconstitutional and particularly troubling for those parents and students who are not Christians or do not subscribe to any religion,” FFRF Staff Attorney Sammi Lawrence wrote to Patrick J. Duggan, the district’s legal counsel.
Duggan made sure the district would take corrective action, and ensure students of all beliefs, or none at all, felt safe to play baseball at North Port. “Please note the ‘chaplain’ has not had and will not have moving forward any affiliation with the team. Any miscommunication about what role FCA is able to play within our schools and regarding our teams and students has been clarified consistent with legal standards,” Duggan wrote. “I understand that the ‘chaplain’ took it upon himself to delete the social media post (on an account the school district has no affiliation with or control over).”
