FFRF successfully stopped a Clark County School District teacher in Las Vegas from using the official school email to promote their personal religious beliefs. A community member contacted FFRF to report that a district employee included religious messages in their official Clark County School District email signature. FFRF’s complainant reported that they received an email including the religious message: “God’s love is like an ocean; you can see its beginning but not its end. — Rick Warren.” “We understand, of course, that the district cannot monitor every email sent by employees,” FFRF Staff Attorney Chris Line wrote to the district. “But we do ask that it take the appropriate steps to ensure that employees are made aware of their constitutional obligation to remain neutral toward religion while acting in their official capacity.” After FFRF sent the letter of complaint, legal representation for the district reached out to FFRF to inform it of its remedying actions. “We have completed our investigation and updated our Acceptable Use Policy regarding taglines and email signatures,” the district’s Assistant General Counsel Alexandre M. Fayad wrote. The school’s updated policy prohibits usage of email signatures completely.
March 12, 2024
