Montana —
FFRF made sure that the Billings (Mont.) Public School system was not involved with a mural on school property that gave the impression that prayer was a required value of the district.
FFRF received a report regarding a mural in Skyview High School that promotes prayer. The complainant explained that in the lower floor hallway of the school, there was a mural depicting the school’s mascot, a falcon, pointing at the view, saying “I want YOU to be a Falcon!” Various core traits of being a falcon are listed on the mural, and the first trait is “PRAYER.” FFRF learned that the mural caused confusion among the student body, as it was unclear if the mural was created by the school itself or a student club. If the mural was created by the school, it would appear that the school was encouraging students to pray and implying that one must believe in and practice prayer to be a SHS Falcon. Further investigation revealed that the mural was allegedly created by a student organization, the All Nations Club. However, there was no signage or disclaimer on or around the mural clarifying that it was created by a student group instead of the school itself. The lack of clarification has led some students to question whether the mural is school sponsored religious promotion.
“If the school continues to claim the mural is student-created, the mural is still problematic if the student club was given special treatment,” FFRF Staff Attorney Sammi Lawrence wrote. “Any student-created murals or displays should be erected according to an open forum operated according to neutral rules.”
After receiving FFRF’s letter, Superintendent Erwin Garcia wrote back to clarify the situation, as well as explain the corrective action taken. “The mural at Skyview High School was not created, commissioned or sponsored by the school or the district. It was designed and painted by the student-led All Nations Club, an Indigenous student organization, as part of a student-led initiative,” Garcia wrote. “We recognize that the lack of clear designation has caused confusion regarding school sponsorship. To resolve this and ensure compliance with viewpoint-neutral forum guidelines, the district will ensure that appropriate signage or a disclaimer is promptly placed on or alongside the mural.”
