The Freedom From Religion Foundation has had a Fellowship of Christian Athletes representative removed from the Conemaugh Township Area School District’s football program.
FFRF learned that “Character Coach” Todd Cover of the fellowship was allowed to lead Christian devotionals and pray with students in the district’s high school football program. Reportedly, Cover had been leading a devotional with the players before every home game, during which “he ensured that each student had the chance to pray and talk during their time together.” He had stated, “These devotionals are a great time to get the team participating and involved in conversations about Christ’s love.”
FFRF informed the district that Cover’s actions violated students’ First Amendment rights. “It is well beyond the scope of a public school system to institute a position which conflates character with Christianity, and which will inevitably involve advocating religion to students,” FFRF Staff Attorney Madeline Ziegler wrote.
The district may not allow outside adults or organizations to lead, organize or regularly participate in “student” religious clubs, FFRF emphasized. Additionally, schools cannot constitutionally allow religious organizations to treat schools as a recruiting ground for their religious mission. The practice of giving outside representatives of the Fellowship of Christian Athletes unique access to its students demonstrates unconstitutional favoritism not only for religion over nonreligion, but also in this case, Christianity over all other faiths. The district’s actions were needlessly alienating and excluding those students part of the 55 percent of Generation Z that is non-Christian.
As a result of FFRF’s letter, the district conducted an investigation, leading to clearer boundaries between school athletics and coercive religious practices.
Ronald N. Repak, the district’s legal representative, wrote back to the state/church watchdog detailing the district’s compliance with the Constitution. “The administration explained that we need to ensure a clear distinction between student led and FCA led activities as we move forward,” he wrote. “Additionally, Mr. Cover will no longer be serving as the character coach for the Conemaugh Township football team.”
FFRF is pleased to secure another victory for the rights of student athletes.
“It’s egregious to encourage a captive audience of student athletes to pray to play,” FFRF Co-President Annie Laurie Gaylor says. “‘Character coaches’ only offer coercive practices that pressure students to conform. FFRF will always fight to see that athletic opportunities are not robbed from students simply because they have the courage to abstain from prayer.”
The Freedom From Religion Foundation is a national nonprofit organization with more than 41,000 members and several chapters nationwide, including over 1,300 members and a chapter in Pennsylvania. FFRF’s purposes are to defend the constitutional principle of separation between church and state, and to educate the public on matters relating to nontheism.
