Texas
FFRF’s work ended the distribution of bibles in the Eustace ISD in Texas.
A concerned parent reported that in October 2023, the district allowed representatives of Gideons International to personally distribute bibles to students on school property during the school day. Additionally, students were reportedly taken out of their normal classes to attend an assembly on school property, during which the Gideons representatives proselytized students to convert them to Christianity. FFRF’s complainant “lost trust” in their child’s school after the school allowed for their child’s education to be interrupted in order for outside adults to preach to and attempt to indoctrinate their child.
“The district should not create a policy whereby any private organization may take advantage of school resources to further its personal goals,” FFRF Staff Attorney Sammi Lawrence wrote.
John C. Hardy, of Hardy Cook & Hardy, represented the district in correspondence about the violation. Hardy spoke with the acting superintendent and learned that one of the district campuses had truly allowed Gideons’ representatives to hand out bibles. “Students were told to bring back the bibles if their parents did not want them to have them,” Hardy wrote. “This has been corrected and will not be a problem in the future. There should not be any more bible distributions on the school campus and no religious organizations will be given special access to students.”
