FFRF has again ensured that staff at Akron Public Schools in Ohio will not be permitted to wear “Jesus Is My Hero” T-shirts in school. FFRF first dealt with the shirts in 2013, which promoted the Buchtel Community Learning Center’s athletic program.
The district notified all staff in October of 2013 that wearing the donated shirts was a violation of policy. “Unfortunately,” said Staff Attorney Rebecca Markert in a letter to the district’s attorney, “I’m writing again because our complainant informs us that these T-shirts have made appearances once again, worn by coaches at football practices.”
On Feb. 9, the district’s attorney told Markert that the district’s athletic director and the school principal were notified, and told staff “that, while acting in their official capacity as school officials, they are prohibited from engaging in actions that could be seen as an endorsement of religion, in violation of board policy.”
