Georgia
The Jordan Vocational High School College and Career Academy (Jordan High School) has taken action to no longer promote or hold a religious event during school hours, thanks to FFRF.
A concerned district parent reported that the school was promoting, organizing and hosting a religious-based “See You At the Pole” (SYATP) event on Sept. 25. A post on the high school’s official Facebook page stated that the religious event was to take place during first block, which is reportedly instructional time, and the event would include a guest speaker. The post featured pictures of students bowing their heads in prayer.
SYATP is a “global day of student prayer.” SYATP is meant to be student-led and organized, and students are encouraged to meet at their school’s flagpole and pray before school. SYATP is an explicitly Christian event and organization. In contrast, Jordan’s SYATP event appeared to be adult-led and organized, and was taking place during school instructional time rather than before school.
“Public schools have a constitutional obligation to remain neutral toward religion,” FFRF Staff Attorney Sammi Lawrence wrote.
The district’s attorney, Gregory S. Ellington, wrote back after FFRF’s complaint, confirming that the district would not only not be hosting the event during instructional periods, but no longer promoting it as well. “The school district’s superintendent has directed the school principal to notify people via the same Facebook page that the event will not take place during first block tomorrow. Future communication about the event, if any, will come from students (not the school) and the event, should it occur, will not be during school hours.”
