Ark Encounter School District Flooded with Separation of Church and State Violations

November 15, 2016
For Immediate Release
Contact: tsfreethinkers@gmail.com

Ark Encounter School District Flooded with Separation of Church and State Violations

Tri-State Freethinkers, the nonprofit organization that led the Ark Encounter Protest this past summer, have since been inundated with documented violations of the separation of church and state stemming from the very county the Ark Encounter resides, Grant County. Violations, some dating back as far as 2009, include misuse of school communications to promote religious events, Christian and bible displays in school offices, religious-themed homework assignments in Chemistry class, and the harassment of children reading books about evolution.  

Possibly the most troubling report Tri-State Freethinkers received was that regarding current Athletic Director Brian Smallwood. Pastor Smallwood is listed as Campus Minister on Grant County High School’s website. He additionally serves as Youth Minister to Dry Ridge Baptist Church and lists his mission as “to REACH non-Christian students, to help them SHARE in God’s Word, to OFFER themselves in SERVICE to Christ, and to CARE for one another, while enabling students to understand and recognize who Jesus Christ is, and what it is to live for Him only.” Pastor Smallwood used Grant County School newsletters to promote church events and fundraisers for church mission trips.

Given the variety and pervasiveness of the violations reported, Tri-State Freethinkers demanded that the District address the specific violations reported, and requested the District train all employees about their obligation to remain neutral toward religion under the Establishment Clause.

It is clear why Answers in Genesis President, Ken Ham, chose Grant County for the location of the controversial Ark Encounter Park. Ham has clearly benefited from the blind eye turned by local officials, much to the detriment of future generations.

Full Text of Grant County Letter

About the Tri-State Freethinkers
Tri-State Freethinkers is a social, academic, and activist group with over 2900 members in Kentucky, Indiana, and Ohio. They are advocates for equal rights and the separation of church and state. They empower members to make positive change by giving back to the community. They encourage critical thinking and decisions based on facts, logic, and reason, not superstitions, myths, or dogma.