Christian Bible Club Sues Okla. School District Over Alleged Media Restrictions
- Posted on October 25, 2011 at 8:39am by
Billy Hallowell
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An Oklahoma school district is potentially heading to court after a Christian club claims that it was forbidden from promoting its events on campus. As a result of these purported restrictions, the group, called “Kids for Christ,” has decided to sue the Owasso Public Schools.
The Christian club holds morning meetings, which are open to children in kindergarten through fifth grade, at the district’s elementary school before the start of the schoolday.
“Kids for Christ” describes itself as “a student initiated, parent/teacher sponsored, public school bible club for kindergarten-5th grade students in Owasso, Oklahoma” and the group’s mission statement, via its Facebook page, is as follows:
Our mission is simple, to reach our children with the good news of Jesus Christ, encourage each child to reach their full potential, and help equip our children with the tools to face their every day adversities. We look into the faces of these children and see our future leaders.
While club organizers claim that they were initially allowed to promote their activities through announcements and flyers, they say these allowances changed with the new semester.
Despite the fact that the Boy Scout and YMCA are permitted to promote activities at the school, “Kids for Christ” organizers claim that they no longer enjoy this privilege. Matt Sharp, an attorney with the Alliance Defense Fund, says that the school district has told the club it can no longer publicize events.
Sharp also says that the district has discouraged club organizers from spreading the word in the community and in local media. “This is a simple matter of a school district targeting a Christian organization,” says Sharp, who is representing the group.
“They have a specific policy on the books that targets religious expression by community organizations,” he continues. “The superintendent said they were religious and couldn’t have the same access as other clubs.
While school officials have acknowledged receiving the complaint, they have not had time to review its contents. Sharp claims that the lawsuit’s goal is to ensure “equal access.”
(H/T: Fox News)
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Comments (94)
txblaze
Posted on October 25, 2011 at 10:56am@SGORNEY: You are absolutely right. Child Evangelism Fellowship conducts after school clubs all over the country based on this court ruling. I work in a club like this in my neighborhood. We are sponsored by a local church and we pay to rent the cafeteria every Monday and this year we have 63 kids enrolled. We have more kids in our club than the YMCA has in their after school program (they rent the gym). We do not advertise at the school where we meet but I know of some clubs where the principal allows them to hang posters and signs around the school about their club. It’s been my experience that schools (at least in the SE Texas area) are very happy to have us there. We not only teach the Bible but emphasize such things as following rules, treating others with respect; things that carry over to the classroom.
Report Post »ofallon
Posted on October 25, 2011 at 12:07pmI worked at Child Evangelism Fellowship headquarters when a Time Magazine reporter came to visit the campus before the Supreme Court ruling in our favor regarding equal access. Oklahoma should realize that this battle has already been fought. (Go Cardinals!)
Report Post »MASTER YODA
Posted on October 25, 2011 at 1:02pmCall them what they are “Christaphobes”.
Report Post »rangerp
Posted on October 25, 2011 at 8:30pmIf K through 5th graders at said school wanted to start a gay and lesbian club, the school would bend over backwards to give them everything they asked for.
Report Post »just happy
Posted on October 25, 2011 at 10:49amdo you hear what Glenn is saying every day and even as I type this? Glenn Beck Groupie here, how about we all try to comment in the Spirit that Glenn has been trying to teach us for the last two years- pray for your enemies. try to educate the ignorant not entrench them in their ignorance. You change things for Good when you change them by using LOVE, and even if they don’t change, you have still gained by adding your love to the vibes of the world.
Report Post »FoxholeAtheist
Posted on October 25, 2011 at 10:49amLet’s change this up a bit, shall we:
“Our mission is simple, to reach our children with the good news of Mohammed, encourage each child to reach their full potential, and help equip our children with the tools to face their every day adversities. We look into the faces of these children and see our future leaders.”
“Our mission is simple, to reach our children with the good news of Buddha, encourage each child to reach their full potential, and help equip our children with the tools to face their every day adversities. We look into the faces of these children and see our future leaders.”
“Our mission is simple, to reach our children with the good news of Joseph Smith, encourage each child to reach their full potential, and help equip our children with the tools to face their every day adversities. We look into the faces of these children and see our future leaders.”
“Our mission is simple, to reach our children with the good news of Wicca, encourage each child to reach their full potential, and help equip our children with the tools to face their every day adversities. We look into the faces of these children and see our future leaders.”
Report Post »Junter
Posted on October 25, 2011 at 11:23amMaybe you can combine lesson plans.. Christ, Muhammad, Buddha, and the lack of a God got together and want to share this message with you…
Report Post »The Jewish Avenger
Posted on October 25, 2011 at 11:46amYou forgot your gaytheism
Report Post »Jaycen
Posted on October 25, 2011 at 12:27pmYay! Moral relativism! Yay!
Great job. You’ve equated Christianity with other, unrelated theologies. Wow. I bet I couldn’t have done that.
Way to compare apples to oranges.
Report Post »himesa
Posted on October 25, 2011 at 2:01pmAND YES – much as I disagree with their beliefs generally, we do have the right to assemble……and they have the right to do the same.
What bothered me more was the comment : district has discouraged club organizers from spreading the word in the community and in local media.
Why would they do that except they are focusing just on the Christian group. If it were a Muslim group would they have said this?
Believe we Christians have for too long sat on our rears and allowed the minority to dictate what our rights are. Time we stood up and fought the good fight – and turn things around.
Report Post »Black Blart
Posted on October 25, 2011 at 3:14pmYa. This is exactly what I want. I would not prevent the Atheist religion from participating either. Free and open exchange is what is at stake.
Report Post »pduffy
Posted on October 25, 2011 at 4:50pmYour post is a good argument for abolishing the public school system altogether. The private school of your choice can then limit anything they wish. Problem solved. Government OUT of the education business because it is a complete failure. The next logical step is then to do what Joseph Smith did, and start a set of new colonies based on race and faith. Then you can move to the colony of your choice to get away from those whom you wish not to associate with. Christians can have their colony, Mormons can have theirs (in Utah of course), Muslims can have theirs (we create a new Muslim state, and give them New York), and homosexuals can have theirs (Californica), and atheists can have their state, (the state of Ungodliness’). More problems solved!
Report Post »turkey13
Posted on October 25, 2011 at 10:16amI live in Oklahoma and a while back my wife and myself went to one of our grandsons classes on grand parens day. I couldn’t belive what I heard – we did the Pledge of Allegance. I looked in the paper for weeks – expecting to read about the school being sued by the ACLU.
Report Post »capitalismrocks
Posted on October 25, 2011 at 10:11amAs Thomas Jefferson wrote – Government should not interfere in the matters of Religion.
As our Constitution states – Congress shall pass no laws prohibiting the free exercise of religion…
The State, and the Public schools need to be sued and beaten down on their constant illegal actions against free religious expression… In a sense, yes – there is a separation of Church & State — the State is NOT to interfere with the matters of Church. However, there is nothing that says religion can’t be freely expressed in schools, government building, public places, and private property…
Report Post »docmd
Posted on October 25, 2011 at 10:26amAMEN ENOUGH said !!!!!!!!!!!!!!! SUE THEM……………
Report Post »okiemomo
Posted on October 26, 2011 at 8:58amThis is a public school, Christians are part of the public, the parents of these children in the club are paying taxes to support this public school.There should be no problem at all for the club to use this facility.This is clearly an attack on Christianity. How twisted the rules have become.
Report Post »ralpheo
Posted on October 25, 2011 at 10:06amA couple of things here. 1: 1st Amendment provides free exercise of religion; 2: A religious group should not be prevented from existing while non-religious organizations are allowed to exist; 3: Other religious groups will need to be permitted to exist as well with the same advertising access as a Christian group; 4: Historically, the Bible was taught in school and required reading with prayer very early on in our country with no Constitutional challenges; 5: The activity is BEFORE school starts, not during classes, as opposed to classes on Mormonism at Utah high schools which are taught during the school day, although an additional class period is provided and the classes are strictly voluntary. Many students have taken advantage of the extra period and graduated from high school early.
Report Post »turkey13
Posted on October 25, 2011 at 10:05amWe have seen what happens when kids are never exposed to the Bible, God or Jesus. Look at Columbin, Virginia Tech. Our government even did a half million $ study on school violance. They got the same results on a $280,000.00 study on why 3 years fell off their trycycles – nothing. I could have told them that when God was in school back in the 60′s your never heard of this kind of violance. The ACLU would cringe if they heard about a prayer before morning classes and the Friday night football game.
Report Post »docmd
Posted on October 25, 2011 at 9:58amThis is Yet another example where we are taking __GOD__out of our schools .Then we wonder why our children are going to hell !!!!! MORE and more are into DRUGS and GANG VIOLENCE ………. But if it this was “ kids for allah ” they would have no problem…… This COUNTRY is SCREWED ,we are going down **** hole faster every day ………….. IF WE don’t turn back to __GOD__ …….
Report Post »dgremark12
Posted on October 25, 2011 at 9:57amWOW I was suprised to see this news,I live in Owasso! LOL
Nice town and hope it stays that way, it will as long as the low lifes from Tulsa stay in Tulsa!
Report Post »avgconservative
Posted on October 25, 2011 at 10:41amHaving worked with the Administration in Owasso, OK, I can attest that they are arrogant and paranoid. Perfect Obama people.
http://FlipTheLib.com
Report Post »kkbego
Posted on October 25, 2011 at 1:25pmI graduated from Owasso High School in 1994 and when I saw this article this morning, it made me cry. I remember there being student Christian organizations in the high school that would hold prayer meetings in the courtyard in front of the main doors in the mornings. I still have a lot of family in Owasso and I encourage you all to fight the school on this. They are trying so hard to turn our kids into their indoctrinated zombies and sadly, many have capitulated. I won‘t and with the Lord’s help, neither will others who serve Him.
Report Post »okiemomo
Posted on October 26, 2011 at 9:04amI live in Claremore. I couldn’t believe it either. They’ve held church in one of our schools here until the members could get their building.
Report Post »pwatkins
Posted on October 25, 2011 at 9:56amIt has always amazed me that the Greek gods of Athens can be studied in school, but not the only God of the Universe. We are allowed to bring in just enough ancient history so the atheist can scream mythology. When I was in school I always cringed when I had to study or even think about false gods. Maybe it is time we started teaching the Truth and not catering to a handful of evil bigots. We might need to pull a few Harper Valley PTA’S….any of you remember that?
Report Post »ZengaPA65
Posted on October 25, 2011 at 9:55am“Kids for Christ” describes itself as “a student initiated, parent/teacher sponsored, public school bible club for kindergarten-5th grade students…”
Five and six year olds initiated this eh?
Report Post »docmd
Posted on October 25, 2011 at 10:01amDon‘t be nieve or are you just plain stup’d !!!!!!!!!!!!
Report Post »ZengaPA65
Posted on October 25, 2011 at 10:18amIt’s spelled naive and stupid. Moron.
Report Post »nilo
Posted on October 25, 2011 at 9:42amGod haters will reject any and every attempt to bring religion to the forefront.
Report Post »dmforman
Posted on October 25, 2011 at 9:32amGrowing up in the 1980‘s I remember often getting flyers from the Baptist Church’s kids programs held on Friday night. I was not Baptist, but no one ever complained about that. I just don’t understand why some things are promoted in schools and others are not. If you do it for one, than you do it for everyone, or don’t do it at all.
Report Post »Centralsville
Posted on October 25, 2011 at 9:17amThe government should never have control over our children. Our government is evil and public schools should be abolished. They do a poor job of educating our children anyway, they do a great job of indoctrinating them with the new religion of political correctness.
Report Post »J_Ruben_Kincaid
Posted on October 25, 2011 at 9:36amTyranny is the law of the land
Report Post »theaveng
Posted on October 25, 2011 at 9:58amNo the Constitution is the law of the land. (Especially the 9th and 10th amendments which limit tyranny.)
What the Liberal communo-Democrats never seem to understand – Discrimination against Christians is JUST as wrong as discrimination against blacks or homosexuals, and yet many of them do it all the time. (Such as forbidding students from praying… and this article.)
Wake up so called “progressive” democrats.
Report Post »vanman4446
Posted on October 26, 2011 at 1:02amYou call what these schools are doing education. What a joke, these kids are dumber than posts. God help this country when they take over.
Report Post »rickbob
Posted on October 25, 2011 at 9:17amIf these were “Kids for Allah” or “Kids for Buddah”, I bet there would be no problem. . .
Report Post »momrules
Posted on October 25, 2011 at 9:05amChristianity has been under attack by school districts for years now. Remember who these people work for……….the unions and the government.
Report Post »IAMMADDOG
Posted on October 25, 2011 at 9:23amIn other words ….Satan.
Report Post »G.E.R
Posted on October 25, 2011 at 9:05amThe club should have never been allowed in a public school to begin with.
Report Post »RAS
Posted on October 25, 2011 at 9:15amBigotry of all flavors has a bitter taste.
Report Post »AJAYW
Posted on October 25, 2011 at 9:28amYour displaying your true IQ
Report Post »BPMaine
Posted on October 25, 2011 at 9:54amSound slike G.E.R is part of the CM group – Clueless Majority who believes it is written in the constitution of Separation of Church and State. Quick history GER – it’s not in the Constitution, never has, never will be – it was in a letter Jefferson wrote – and it is clear that Jefferson didn’t intend to exclude religion from the public. In fact he held sunday worship services at the capitol…
Report Post »Walkabout
Posted on October 25, 2011 at 10:31amG.E.R. would have no problem with a a secular group of humanists voluntarily meeting & espousing its’ belief system, but he is quite exercised about religious groups doing the same. It is apparent why he is so uncomfortable with any religious group being seen or heard.
Report Post »G.E.R
Posted on October 25, 2011 at 10:53amIt has nothing to do with the separation of church and state or bigotry. It has everything to do with it being superstitious metaphysical nonsense that no intelligent free thinking person would believe. It has no place in the public school system.
Report Post »VRW Conspirator
Posted on October 25, 2011 at 12:35pmUm…read history…all the Founders…even the 3 self described agnostics…agreed that the Bible should be the PRIMARY textbook used in schools. Even those Founders that were hostile towards organized religions, like Thomas Paine, also agreed that the Bible still should be used in schools. IN FACT, even the SCOTUS agrees, as recent as the 1960-70′s, that the Bible CAN be used in PUBLIC SCHOOLS as a textbook as long as the focus was on the historical and literary aspects of the Bible and not the preaching of faith based doctrines.
Report Post »So you are just ignorant and wrong. Get over it!
The SCOTUS has also ruled that student directed voluntary clubs can be faith based and STILL be located on school grounds, receive school services, and receive school funding specifically designated for clubs, organizations, or extra curricular activities.
Since all the ignorant of historical FACT atheists out there keep thinking that the phrase “separation of church and state” appears in the Constitution, maybe they need to go back to their public schools and READ the Constitution. Any SCOTUS decision that is based on “international law” or “judicial opinion” that states different is flat out WRONG! The SCOTUS can ONLY decided cases based on the Constitution…NOT LEGAL president or case history or past decisions. Since the 1960′s the SCOTUS has forgotten that but WE THE PEOPLE have not!
GET EDUCATED! before you mouth off.
saranda
Posted on October 25, 2011 at 2:19pm@AJAYW – you said “Your displaying your true IQ”. See the irony.
Report Post »DYNA
Posted on October 25, 2011 at 11:12pm@G.E.R.
Report Post »You must mean the infatuation with Yoga, Mother Earth, and self awareness.
DanWesson455
Posted on October 25, 2011 at 9:03amNational Teachers Union pulling the strings on this? Can’t have kids learning about our God and Savior. No no no. We have to teach masturbation and condom use…..Gads I want a Comet now Lord.! Send it in a hurry. Whack the heck out of this place.
Report Post »AJAYW
Posted on October 25, 2011 at 9:01amVote out all school board members,
Report Post »Keester
Posted on October 25, 2011 at 9:30amYea, I’m from a Owasso…I think I can help there.
Report Post »Snowleopard {gallery of cat folks}
Posted on October 25, 2011 at 8:59amOne more assault by the Progressives on the right of religious expression.
Report Post »gwssacredcause
Posted on October 25, 2011 at 8:57am“The Bible should be read in our schools in preference to all other books from its containing knowledge which is circulated to produce private and public happiness.” Benjamin Rush
Report Post »HeDied4U
Posted on October 25, 2011 at 8:54amI am familiar with this organization and I have personally spoken with its founder as I am interested in trying to replicate his ideas to those within my sphere.
Report Post »JMorcan
Posted on October 25, 2011 at 9:04am“They have a specific policy on the books that targets religious expression by community organizations,”
This doesn’t sound as though the district is targeting Christianity.
“Our mission is simple, to reach our children with the good news of Jesus Christ,”
That’s a job for parents and the church. Besides, don’t we already have enough school-sponsored activities that have nothing to do with academics? I agree with the district.
Report Post »Walkabout
Posted on October 25, 2011 at 10:33amJMorcan
Report Post »They meet outside of regular class periods. How does that detract from class? It might actually help; the participating students might be more focused during class to learn.
realjohn
Posted on October 25, 2011 at 12:18pmWhy can’t religious orgs preach outside of church?
Report Post »We voted for people in towns and cities and states
who tow the progressive line.
We put them in
We can vote them out
The progressive community organizers are stronger then ours.
Look at 1600 for proof
It is up to us
VOTE
staggerlee32
Posted on October 25, 2011 at 8:53amI agree…. and all parents and grand parents should get the kids in Christian school until that happens.
Report Post »7-8Deville
Posted on October 25, 2011 at 8:52amThe YMCA is also a Christian organization, though I‘m sure most don’t even realize that anymore. Though it’s curious that the district is discouraging advertising the club off of school grounds…
Report Post »warveteran
Posted on October 25, 2011 at 8:46amThis country had better get back to teaching our children about Christ, or we are doomed.
Report Post »sgorney
Posted on October 25, 2011 at 10:06amStudents of faith are allowed to have before and after school clubs. This has gone to the supreme court. This has been affirmed in regard to “Equal Access Clubs” by the 1990 U.S. Supreme Court decision in Westside Community Schools v. Mergens. And in 1995, President Bill Clinton directed then-Secretary of Education, Richard Riley, to prepare guidelines for what the government deemed “appropriate religious expression on school grounds.” These guidelines were issued and upheld by the government several times since.
The school probably does not fully understand the ruling and hopefully they will change their policy to offer fair access and promotion for all clubs before the lawsuit commences. If not, I hope this is a huge case highlighting religious injustice.
Report Post »million
Posted on October 25, 2011 at 10:19amAre we abit bitter and angry at what we see in the mirror each morning? God loves you no matter how ugly you behave. God bless !
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