After an egregious violation of the Constitution, FFRF took action that would keep the Oklahoma school children safe from a proselytizing public official.
On Feb. 28, State Superintendent of Public Instruction Ryan Walters visited Riverside Elementary School to observe, meet with students, and to read to a second-grade class. Before reading to the class, Walters led the students in prayer delivered explicitly to God.
FFRF Staff Attorney Chris Line wrote to the district about the unconstitutional prayer.
Legal representative Bryan K. Drummond wrote back to FFRF about the prayer, informing it that the district was unaware that this would happen. “The administration and I have spoken about ensuring that this does not happen in the future and the administration is committed to ensuring that the law is followed,” Drummond wrote.
FFRF has ensured that students at a California school will no longer be exposed to a Latin cross during class sessions.
A Chino Valley community member reported a Latin cross on display in the Chino Valley Adult School next to a poster of the Pledge of Allegiance.
FFRF Staff Attorney Chris Line wrote to legal representation for the district regarding the violation. William A. Diedrich, an attorney from Atkinson, Andelson, Loya, Ruud & Romo, responded on behalf of the district. “Without addressing the legality of the display, nor acknowledging that a constitutional violation has occurred, the district has requested the Latin cross to be removed and the employee has complied,” he wrote.
FFRF brought the Hardin Independent School District back in line with the Constitution after an inherently religious event was promoted through social media.
A parent reported that the district promoted the religious event, See You At the Pole, on the district’s official social media and allowed adults to organize and participate in the event. SYATP is a “global day of student prayer,” wherein students are encouraged to meet at their school’s flagpole and pray before school. It is an explicitly Christian event and organization. On Sept. 27, 2023, a post from the official Hardin ISD Facebook page stated:
“We love seeing students participating in SYATP! What a beautiful morning! Thank you to our volunteers organizing these events!”
FFRF Legal Fellow Sammi Lawrence wrote to the district. “It is well settled that public schools may not allow employees or outside adults to lead, direct, or encourage students to engage in prayer.”
Legal representative for the district Melody Carrier reached out to FFRF, responding that the situation has been resolved. “The district has conferenced with the independent contractor who was involved in the incident,” Carrier wrote. “The district will ensure that proper training on the separation of church and immediately addressed with all substitutes and the district will continue to stress with all employees the duties and responsibilities under the law.”
After a prayer was delivered in Weiser School District #431 in Idaho at a Veteran’s Day assembly, FFRF worked to keep the district from infringing on district members’ First Amendment rights.
A parent reported that on Nov. 9, 2023, the district held an all-school Veterans Day program that included religious messaging and prayer. The complainant reported that the event’s speaker led students in prayer and repeatedly quoted the bible and that their children were deeply uncomfortable with the school-sponsored prayer and religious promotion.
FFRF Staff Attorney Chris Line wrote to Superintendent Kenneth Dewlen, who responded to FFRF, noting that an investigation had taken place, and said that even though the local chapter of the Veterans of Foreign Wars sponsored the event, action was still needed to be taken to prevent prayer in the future. “The Superintendent or their designee will ensure that they preview the Veterans Day Program agenda before the event,” Dewlen wrote.
FFRF got the Neenah, Wis., Police Department to remove references to faith and God from its official mission statement.
A complainant reported that the Neenah Police Department’s website indicated that the department operated under the “Pillars of P.R.I.D.E.” The first pillar is labeled “priorities,” which lists three values: “Faith, family, work.” The website states that “Our personal convictions about faith define all that we do. Family is valued above work.” Similarly, in 2019, the report included the same pillar, with values listed as “God, Family, Work.” In 2021, the Neenah PD Policy Manual described the “Priorities” pillar as “our personal convictions about faith define all that we do.”
FFRF Legal Fellow Sammi Lawrence wrote to Chief Aaron L. Olson about the constitutional issue.
City Attorney David C. Rashid wrote back to FFRF, informing it that the pillar had been changed, noting that they “modified the purportedly offensive language on the police department’s website concerning the use of the word ‘God’ as well as any other verbiage in the ‘P’ box of the Pillars (part of the Mission Statement) after the first sentence thereof.”
The Laurens County Schools in Georgia will no longer allow science teachers to spread their personal doctrine over Darwinism, thanks to FFRF’s efforts.
A concerned district parent reported that a science teacher at West Laurens High School told students that she didn’t believe in evolution while teaching about it, undermining the scientific fact of evolution and promoting her personal religious beliefs. FFRF’s complainant reported that the teacher explained Christian creationist beliefs to students and told them that they shouldn’t trust the theory of evolution because Darwin rushed to publish his findings to be the first to publish the theory. The complainant reported that other science teachers in the district similarly promoted Christianity and denigrated the theory of evolution while teaching the subject.
FFRF Staff Attorney Chris Line wrote to Superintendent Clifford Garnto, who responded that the situation had been managed. “We have addressed the concern with the employee and staff. Our employee’s job is to teach the Georgia Standards of Excellence. This has been clarified and reinforced,” he wrote.
FFRF stepped in to keep Depew, Okla., school students from having prayer imposed on them at a Christmas play by school staff in the future.
A concerned Depew Elementary School parent reported that on Dec. 14, a local preacher was allowed to lead students and parents in a Christian prayer both before and after the school’s Christmas play.
FFRF Staff Attorney Chris Line wrote to Superintendent Leon Hiett pointing out the constitutional violation.
FFRF received an email from the district’s legal counsel, Ryan K. Drummond. “After receiving your letter, the district investigated this matter and discovered that a preacher did give a prayer at the beginning and end of this year’s Christmas program,” Drummond wrote.
Hiett informed the legal counsel that he spoke with administrators about the situation. Hiett had assured Drummond that such an offense would not happen again.
FFRF successfully fought to keep a Michigan 4-H Club awards banquet, which is a part of the Michigan State University Extension program, free from planned prayers.
A concerned parent reported that the Nov. 5, 2023, Berrien County 4-H Award Banquet included an apparently pre-planned prayer that was not listed on the event’s official program. Toward the end of the banquet, a 4-H leader was called to the stage, and led the attendees in a prayer that explicitly referenced God and Jesus Christ. FFRF’s complainant reported that past award banquets did not include prayer. The complainant reported that the prayer appeared to be planned, but for reasons unbeknown to them, the plan to include the prayer was not disclosed to attendees or those involved in planning the event.
FFRF Legal fellow Sammi Lawrence wrote to Kelly Stelter, Berrien County 4-H Program Coordinator, who then informed FFRF that an internal investigation took place. “This issue was addressed with the parties involved,” Stelter wrote.
A complaint by FFRF has resulted in an Ohio school district prohibiting outside groups, including religious organizations, from recruiting elementary school children during school lunch hours.
A concerned parent informed FFRF that last September, for the second year in a row, Lake Cable Elementary School had allowed adult representatives of the Good News Club to access over 400 students during the lunch period while on school property. Child Evangelism Fellowship, the club’s parent organization, “is a bible-centered organization composed of born-again believers whose purpose is to evangelize boys and girls with the Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ and to establish (disciple) them in the Word of God and in a local church for Christian living.” Good News Club representatives spoke to students and promised kids that they would be given “candy and ice cream” if they joined the club. And Lake Cable Elementary sent a Good News Club permission slip home to be completed and returned to the school office.
FFRF Legal Fellow Sammi Lawrence wrote to Jackson Local Schools Superintendent Christopher DiLoreto, insisting that Jackson Local Schools commence an immediate investigation into this matter and make certain that Lake Cable Elementary cease allowing Good News Club representatives to recruit and proselytize students.
FFRF’s decisive action was successful.
“The district has put an end to allowing access to outside groups at the elementary buildings during the school day (as is already the case in all other buildings),” the legal counsel for Jackson Local Schools recently replied in an email.
FFRF, with a coalition of taxpayers and other civil rights organizations, filed this amicus brief with the Oklahoma Supreme Court on December 27, 2023. This brief was in support of Oklahoma Attorney General Gentner Drummond and his challenge to the Statewide Virtual Charter School Board's approval of the religious school, St. Isidore of Seville Catholic Virtual School. This lawsuit is related to OKPLAC v. Statewide Virtual Charter School Board, which involves similar legal issues.
The brief argued that St. Isidore should not be approved as a public charter school because the Oklahoma Constitution prohibits public schools from teaching a religious curriculum and because the school is a state actor.
This brief was filed in collaboration with Americans United for the Separation of Church and State, Education Law Center, and the ACLU.