Texas
FFRF successfully fought for the First Amendment rights of cheerleaders in the Amarillo Independent School District in Texas.
A concerned parent informed FFRF that the Tascosa High School cheerleading coach was posting bible quotes in messages to cheerleaders. FFRF learned that the coach was encouraging prayer circles with the cheerleaders, as well.
“It is unlawful for public school athletic coaches to lead their teams in biblical instruction, lessons or prayer,” FFRF Patrick O’Reiley Legal Fellow Hirsh M. Joshi wrote to the district.
Religious coercion occurring within school districts is particularly troubling for parents and students who are not Christian or the nonreligious, who comprise nearly half of Generation Z (those born after 1996).
A legal representative for the district confirmed that corrective action had been taken.
“District and campus administration reviewed your letter and relevant case law decisions with the staff member,” Andrea Slater Gulley of Walsh Gallegos writes in a recent letter to FFRF. “The district is confident the staff member now has a better understanding of applicable law, and has discontinued the use of bible verses in communications with students.”
