Virginia
FFRF brought First Amendment rights back to the Caroline County Public Schools in Bowling Green, Va.
FFRF learned of multiple violations in the district, with the complainant reporting that most school events within the district begin with Christian prayer, including both athletic events and school board meetings.
FFRF learned of a state/church violation in August of 2023, through a social media post confirming that some staff and faculty meetings included Christian prayers. A similar post in September 2023 confirmed the existence of an afterschool Christian club, with the sole goal being proselytizing and converting public middle school students to Christianity. Further violations of this club, known as the 180 Club, occurred throughout October of 2023, with students engaging in Christian worship and prayer after school on school property, a guest speaker sharing religious testimony with students at the club and the distribution of bibles to students.
Violations stretched into 2024, as well, as a board member asked all attendees at a February board meeting to stand and participate in a prayer delivered to the “Heavenly Father,” with references to “Lord God” throughout.
“The district may not legally allow adults to lead, organize or regularly participate in ‘student’ religious clubs at CMS or any of the district’s other secondary schools,” FFRF Staff Attorney Sammi Lawrence wrote to the district.
The district’s legal representative, Pakapon Phinyowattanachip, wrote an email to FFRF after the group had reported the violations. In the email, Phinyowattanachip confirmed: “The School Board is not conducting prayers at meetings and that school staff is not leading prayers at school or student-led clubs.”
