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  1. #1
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    Default Re: Religious Club in Public School

    Many schools have now prohibited ALL non-academic groups from utilizing school facilities so as to avoid the issue of discrimination altogether. In general, if they allow one organization or club to meet they may have to allow all to meet. To avoid this, they often prohibit anything not school-related.

  2. #2
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    Default Re: Religious Club in Public School

    TM, I think he is referring to the federal Equal Access Act.

  3. #3
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    Default Re: Religious Club in Public School

    Quote Quoting RJR
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    TM, I think he is referring to the federal Equal Access Act.
    You may be right. But the Equal Access Act might not provide much help to the OP in this instance. Under that Act a high school receiving federal funds and that allows a forum for groups to meet during noninstructional time is prohibited from denying any other group the same opportunity to meet during noninstructional time based on that group's "religious, political, philosophical, or other content of the speech". 20 U.S.C. § 4071(a). In short, once the school allows one group to meet after school hours it could not deny the same right to other groups to meet after school if that denial is based on the religious, political or other point of view of the group. So whether this Act is violated would again depend on the sort of details I asked about earlier. Note that the Act does not expressly provide any remedy whatsoever for the violation of the Act and expressly prohibits the federal government from withholding federal funds to schools who violate it. That would leave pretty much the only remedy here as being an injunction.

  4. #4
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    Default Re: Religious Club in Public School

    The links below are about kids that meet at the flag pole once a year to pray. This is done in some public schools before classes start. There are some schools that meet once a month. My youngest daughter was president of the group at her high school that met at the flag pole once a month to pray.


    https://ffrf.org/outreach/item/14025...yer-gatherings

    https://ffrf.org/faq/state-church/it...-public-school

    https://syatp.com/

  5. #5
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    Default Re: Religious Club in Public School

    Those are very informative links Mercy, no doubt will help the OP with his facts.

  6. #6
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    Default Re: Religious Club in Public School

    Quote Quoting Mercy&Grace
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    The links below are about kids that meet at the flag pole once a year to pray. This is done in some public schools before classes start. There are some schools that meet once a month. My youngest daughter was president of the group at her high school that met at the flag pole once a month to pray.
    I am also familiar with the organization and this event as it happens every year at my local high schools as well. But, it's not generally considered a school club or organization as it tends to be student run and led, and not a regular event sponsored by the school or using facilities at the school.

    The problem is that given the language of the EAA many schools interpret it to mean that there can be no monitor or sponsor who is a school employee. And, if they have rules that require a teacher or staffer direct, participate, or at least coordinate/permit access to school facilities for the organization then they are violating the EAA. In an effort to forestall any arguments on what is or is not considered participation by the school, many have opted to either prohibit ANY activity that might be seen as having a religious component (even if they are inclusive and/or not mandating any acts of faith at the meetings including YMCA, Boy Scouts, Young Life, or Friday Night Live, and others), or, to ban any organizations not directly related to a sanctioned and legitimate school activity (sports, math, science, etc.).

    We have school groups that meet off campus at church facilities because the local schools have opted to err on the side of extreme caution. As a result, though, these off-site meetings often DO have the participation of school staff and teachers.

  7. #7
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    Default Re: Religious Club in Public School

    Quote Quoting cdwjava
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    I am also familiar with the organization and this event as it happens every year at my local high schools as well. But, it's not generally considered a school club or organization as it tends to be student run and led, and not a regular event sponsored by the school or using facilities at the school.

    The problem is that given the language of the EAA many schools interpret it to mean that there can be no monitor or sponsor who is a school employee. And, if they have rules that require a teacher or staffer direct, participate, or at least coordinate/permit access to school facilities for the organization then they are violating the EAA. In an effort to forestall any arguments on what is or is not considered participation by the school, many have opted to either prohibit ANY activity that might be seen as having a religious component (even if they are inclusive and/or not mandating any acts of faith at the meetings including YMCA, Boy Scouts, Young Life, or Friday Night Live, and others), or, to ban any organizations not directly related to a sanctioned and legitimate school activity (sports, math, science, etc.).

    We have school groups that meet off campus at church facilities because the local schools have opted to err on the side of extreme caution. As a result, though, these off-site meetings often DO have the participation of school staff and teachers.
    The group my youngest daughter was president of was Not school sponsored. They met before school at the flagpole to pray. If I remember correctly, there were one, sometimes two teachers there to pray only. They were Not there as teachers. This was a public high school.

  8. #8
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    Default Re: Religious Club in Public School

    Quote Quoting Mercy&Grace
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    The group my youngest daughter was president of was Not school sponsored. They met before school at the flagpole to pray. If I remember correctly, there were one, sometimes two teachers there to pray only. They were Not there as teachers. This was a public high school.
    Yep. Same here. Though, in some districts, teachers were prohibited from participating. Locally, teachers did ... but, we're in a red part of CA where crazy has not yet taken over completely.

    It is programs that used to meet on school grounds that have been affected by the shift in political winds over the last dozen years or so. YMCA, Boy Scouts, Young Life, Friday Night Live, and other organizations have been driven off campuses even as other groups have been encouraged. Many schools opt for NO non-academic clubs or organizations on campus to avoid the controversy altogether. Or, they make rules that effectively ban the club by crafting regulations the group cannot possibly meet. It is an ongoing struggle for all involved.

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