Officials at Atlantic Cape Community College in New Jersey decided not to fund religious or political student clubs but does fund a homosexual student club. Why?
According to Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF), school officials told members of the Christian Club they will not receive funding because the club is Christian.
School officials apparently failed to check the law, the Constitution, or Supreme Court precedent when they made this decision.
On behalf of the Christian Club, ADF sent a letter to the school reminding them of the consequences of discriminating based on religious beliefs.
Such claims will trigger strict scrutiny in court, a difficult standard to overcome.
ADF asked school officials to restore funding to the Christian Club and to strike language in the policy that bars funding based on religious beliefs. One of the cases ADF cited to support the club’s argument is Kennedy v. Bremerton School District (2022).
The Supreme Court ruled the school district discriminated against Coach Joe Kennedy for his religious beliefs. Kennedy, who was an assistant football coach at Bremerton High School in Washington, prayed on the 50-yard line with players after games. When the school him asked to stop, he refused. The school fired him.
In a 6-3 ruling, the high court contended that the Constitution “neither mandates nor permits the government to suppress such religious expression.”
Atlantic Cape Community College excluded Christian Club members from receiving funding because of their faith –– an obvious constitutional violation.
“School officials cannot single out students of faith for unequal treatment,” said Matthew Ray, ADF attorney. “Christian Club members at Atlantic Cape face a clear double standard. While the Pride Club receives school funding, the Christian Club is barred simply because it’s religious.”
Photo credit: By Sasae86 – iphone, CC BY-SA 4.0, link
