FFRF has remedied several state/church violations within a Missouri public school after receiving multiple complaints from area residents regarding school employees at Buffalo High School promoting religion.
It was reported that the band director of the school’s marching band included a bible verse on the official band T-shirts in the past. Last year, T-shirts for the Buffalo High School girls’ basketball team also included a bible verse. Furthermore, a parent reported that in recent years there have been prayers given over the loudspeaker before Buffalo High School football games.
FFRF wrote to the Dallas County R-1 School District on Jan. 9, informing Superintendent Timothy Ryan that it is a violation of the U.S. Constitution for schools to promote a religious message to students, or to sponsor religious messages at school athletic events.
On Jan. 19, Ryan responded, informing FFRF that the district would perform an investigation into the alleged violations to ensure they would not recur.
