Black Community News News and Commentary for Christians
On December 2, First Liberty Institute sent a letter to the Waterville Central School District in New York, warning bureaucrats that refusing to sponsor a student Bible club because the club was religious violated the U.S. Constitution.
A student asked for permission to create a school-sponsored Bible club, and the school district reluctantly allowed the club unofficially and only if members met during lunch hour with a teacher present or as an outside organization to meet onsite after school hours. The school district admitted that it did not want to recognize the club officially because it was religious.
First Liberty explained in the letter that refusing to recognize a religious club because of religion is an obvious violation of the law.
The Waterville Central School District must have weighed the expense and potential embarrassment of a lawsuit. First Liberty announced that the school district has relented and will recognize the Bible club as an official school club.
“We are grateful that the school district now recognizes the constitutional right of this club to meet with equal funding, support, and recognition afforded to all other clubs,” said Keisha Toni Russell, senior counsel for First Liberty Institute. “Schools should always respect the religious beliefs of their students. This is a victory for students of all faiths and a reminder that all people have a constitutional right to express their religious beliefs, pray, and study the Bible even in a public school setting.”
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