Another victory for the Separation of Church and State in our Kentucky public schools!
Tri-State Freethinkers recently wrote a letter to Russellville High School regarding a photo posted to social media a sign quoting the Book of Romans from the Christian Bible. Some may think that a football game is an extra-curricular activity and therefore would not be subject to the same rules regarding the separation of church and state. The following is a quote from our letter:
On June 19, 2000, the Supreme Court heard a case in which a Texas school board policy that allowed “student-led, student initiated prayer” before varsity high-school football games was a violation of the First Amendment’s establishment clause. Santa Fe Ind. Sch. Dist. v. Doe makes clear that football games are school-sponsored activities that are important to many students, and that it is not permissible to force students to have to choose between attending games or being exposed to unwelcome religious displays or messages.
The school sponsorship of a religious message is not only illegal, but also problematic because it sends a message to students and community members who practice a minority religion or are not religious “that they are outsiders, not full members of the political community” while sending “an accompanying message to adherents that they are insiders, favored members of the political community.” Santa Fe Indep. Sch. Dist., 530 U.S. at 309-10 (quoting Lynch v. Donnelly, 465 U.S. 668, 688 (1984) (O’Connor, J., concurring)). Russellville High School must strive to be an inclusive environment for all students, regardless of their religious or nonreligious views.
Tri-State Freethinkers recently received a letter from the superintendent stating that the athletic director had addressed the violation. We thank them for their compliance and hope that they continue to protect the constitutional right of their students to a public school education free from state endorsement of religion.
Parents, students, teachers, or members of the community: please send any violations of the separation of church and state to tsfreethinkers@gmail.com.
