A concerned Ohio resident has reported that Shelby High School in Shelby, Ohio, had been advertising and promoting a baccalaureate service as part of its graduation events. An advertisement for the baccalaureate service, which typically includes prayer or worship, was published on the front cover of the Shelby High School graduation program and on the school’s website.
On May 18, FFRF’s Christopher Line wrote Tim Tarvin, superintendent of Shelby City Schools, to ensure that Shelby City Schools does not sponsor or advertise baccalaureate programs for its students.
On June 21, Melissa Martinez Bondy, a legal representative for the district, wrote to FFRF assuring it that the public school will no longer have any part in “controlling, organizing, and publicizing the baccalaureate service,” and that “the board will remove notice of the baccalaureate service from all graduation materials and announcements and will not directly or indirectly publicize the event.”
