A high school in the Plattsburgh City School District in New York effectively banned a student club called the Jesus Club. How obvious can you be?
If you ban a religious club in a government school but allow secular clubs, you have violated the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution and the Equal Access Act, which Congress passed in 1984. You are liable for discriminating based on religious beliefs. More courts these days rule in favor of upholding religious freedom.
Administrators at this government school didn’t get the memo. The American Center for Law and Justice (ACLJ) just sent them one.
According to the ACLJ, the school “spent nearly nine months blocking a student from forming a Christian club – while approving a secular club that applied at the exact same time.”
Courts don’t like such blatant discrimination. The ACLJ said school officials told student Kennedy Canales that she could not use the name “Jesus Club.” Why? Not inclusive. They suggested “Faith Club” instead. And the club, regardless of the name, could not meet while other clubs were meeting during the designated club time.
In the ACLJ’s demand letter to the school district, the legal firm noted that the “message is unmistakable here: religious clubs will be subjected to indefinite delay and bureaucratic limbo while secular clubs receive the school’s support and prompt approval.”
The school district’s actions are not an administrative oversight, the ACLJ said. It’s a “deliberate strategy to discourage and prevent the formation of a religious student organization. The District will not avoid liability by simply refusing to issue a formal denial.”
It certainly will not.
The Plattsburgh City School District has until November 13, 2025, to approve the Jesus Club and permit the club to meet during the designated 10th period club time.
Do you think the school district will come to its senses and treat Kennedy Canales fairly — or will the ACLJ have to sue on her behalf?
Photo credit: Pict-your (Creative Commons) – Some rights reserved
