Smoky Valley Public Schools in Kansas has complied with FFRF’s request to remove a religious reference from a post on the district’s official Facebook account.
A community member reported that on Aug. 4, the official Smokey Valley USD 400 Facebook account shared a post referencing biblical scripture. The post, which was celebrating a new funding increase, stated in part, “Scripture reminds us in Psalm 127:1, ‘Unless the Lord builds the house, the builders labor in vain.’ We recognize that this blessing is not ours alone, but a reflection of God’s grace working through a unified and faithful community. We are truly blessed beyond words.”
The person who contacted FFRF further explained that, “Although I’m happy [the district] will receive additional funding, I was shocked to see the religious sentiment from the official USD 400 Facebook page.”
FFRF wrote to the district, requesting that it remove or edit the post to ensure that it refrains from promoting religion on official social media in the future.
“While it is understandable that the district wished to celebrate increased funding via social media announcement, referencing religion in said announcement needlessly marginalizes students and families who are nonreligious, as well as those who belong to minority faiths,” FFRF Staff Attorney Sammi Lawrence wrote to the district.
After receiving the letter, the district Superintendent Quentin Breese confirmed that proper action had been taken. “As requested, the post has been edited,” he wrote in an email.
