School Use For Religious Purposes

[Henry]

Hi All,

I received a phone call today from someone who does not wish to be identified.  She did speak to a School Board Member who was not able to answer her question..

The question is:  Should the school allow Religious Groups to use the school as a place of worship.  She stated that a number of years ago that either the Methodist or Baptist Church had wanted to use the school for instruction and were denied because it was a religion  --  She asked me if I knew of any bylaws regarding this  --  I told her that the only thing I was aware of was that at one time Catholics used to teach religion at the school and had to cease doing that.  

The religion she is talking about is "The Redeeming Grace Church" that is using the School as a church.

I told this lady I would contact Scott Lang for her since she did not wish to do that herself.

I emailed Scott who responded with the following answer shortly thereafter:

Hi Henry,

   This is a tricky one but I'll do my best.  There have been quite a few court rulings in the last few years about this issue.  Schools cannot promote or discourage any religious practices.  That said, since we allow groups to use the building for other purposes, we cannot discriminate against a group because they are a church.  Not many years back, the case law from courts actually advised schools not to allow churches access however a number of Superior Court cases held that allowing usage to some groups and not others, especially based on religion was a violation of the Constitution.  The laws have changed as the political landscape has changed.  In truth, schools have less latitude for judgement in these areas than they once did.  As long as a group abides by our building use conditions as outlined in policy and procedure, they may use the facility.

   Hope that helps - I am sorry that whomever had the question did not feel comfortable contacting me or one of the other principals.  Please assure her that we are here to serve the community.
Scott

I would encourage anyone with a question regarding the school to feel free to contact Scott  --  He will always respond and give you a thorough concise answer.