EDUCATION FAITH WND NEWS CENTER
'One of the most egregious examples of government religious discrimination'
By Bob UnruhPublished May 27, 2024 at 9:05am
(Photo by Joe Kovacs)
A new student-led Bible club has been approved at a school in California after seven months of "anti-Christian hostility" from school officials.
The report comes from Dean Broyles, of the National Center for Law & Policy, which wrote to school officials explaining the students' right to have their own club in the Oceanside Unified School District.
"This flagrant mistreatment and abuse of these courageous religious student leaders and other OHS students who desire to participate in the A-Team Bible Club is one of the most egregious examples of government anti-Christian religious discrimination and hostility that I have seen in my nearly thirty years of practicing law," Broyles explained.
He cited the opposition from OHS ASB cashier and clerk Robbin Pollard.
"Pollard’s actions and communications towards these Christian students were arbitrary, capricious and discriminatory.
Such state anti-religious bigotry is unacceptable and is unlawful.
But this is precisely what happens when the state delegates too much unchecked discretionary government power to a single ‘gatekeeper,’ who either does not know the law or does not care to abide by it.
The OHS ASB, particularly Pollard, owes these student leaders an apology."
He said the law requires government to be neutral, not hostile, toward religion.
Part of that, he said, is "Accommodating religious students on campus by giving them equal access."
His report on the dispute explained how the school had thrown up "relentless red tape and overt religious discrimination."
The breakthrough, the approval from the board, happened only days after the district got an 18-page letter from NCLP charging the school with anti-Christian hostility.
"The student leaders attempting to launch the Christian Club had endured more than seven months of significant anti-Christian hostility and blatant religious discrimination from a rogue teacher at Oceanside High School since first attempting to form the club at the beginning of the 2023-2024 school year," he said.
The report noted the Religious Free Exercise Clause of the First Amendment, the Equal Access Act and OUSD’s own policies and regulations protect such student-led clubs on high school campuses.
Pollard, the report said, repeatedly had claimed to the students that there were too many Christian clubs on campus and they would have to wait a year.
The first meeting of the A-Team Bible Club was held just days ago.
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