When I was in high school, my Christian club secured a legal team to help us navigate what we were allowed to do on school property. Could we have a Bible study during lunch time in the courtyard? Could one of the boys preach like Ray Comfort near the front doors of the school? Was I allowed to have my Bible in class? Was it illegal for the school to censor my friend from sharing the gospel at a school assembly?
We were a controversial group, and the legality of our actions was sometimes called into question. I wish that the club leader had known what the rights of students were and what was considered a breach of church and State separation.
Americans United for Separation of Church and State (AUSCS) just published a new book detailing the current rights and legal climate connecting religion and schools: Religion in the Public Schools: A Road Map for Avoiding Lawsuits and Respecting Parents’ Legal Rights by Anne Lofaso, an Associate Professor of Law at West Virginia University College of Law.
Watch the introductory video and see if it’s a resource you’d find helpful!
You can download the PDF version of the book for FREE at religioninthepublicschools.com and buy the hard copy for reference on Amazon.com.
Photo by Campin Guy
When you reach eighth grade, you’re at the top of your game: You have an amusing case of senioritis that provides an abundance of confidence and slackitude (yes, that is a word today). Compared to your 7th and 6th grade peons, you’re mature, smart, attractive, and “have it all together”. While they’re still in training bras or hoping a chin hair will suddenly appear, you’re at the top of the food chain, dolling out advice and wisdom to whatever child will take it. You’ve found your niche. You finally feel like you have a voice. Eighth grade was one of the best school years of my life. I loved it.
And then you become a freshman. Suddenly you’re thrust into an unfamiliar environment with people bigger than you who know more about absolutely everything. You can’t even find your way to the water fountain, much less lead a clique or have control over your life. Books are heavier, assignments are longer, and you are suddenly taught something called “critical thinking” (well, in some schools, anyway). Not everyone is like you anymore, and you feel lost, intimidated, and insecure. You have a lot of growing to do. I remember hating my high school for months before I finally accepted the transition into the new environment.
For me, leaving Christianity was a lot like graduating from eighth grade to high school.
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