Everyone in America has the freedom of both speech and religion according to the First Amendment, but in a government building, the line between exercising rights and forcing beliefs on others can get blurry. Hoping to share their faith and build a community at Gretna East, juniors Lydia Contor and Laci Prose founded a bible study group, however, the club raises the question: Is that allowed at school?
“We wanted to start a group of community with people at our school where it’s a safe space for us to be able to study the Bible together and to grow that relationship with God,” Prose said.
However, some questions have arisen about how a religious organization can be allowed in a public school. The key factor of why the group is allowed to meet is that it’s not a school-sanctioned activity, rather the school is a place for the group to meet.
“It’s not a school-sponsored group, but we do have high schoolers who may want to [join], Activities Director Ryan Garder said. “They [the kids who wanted to set it up] spoke about, you know, creating a community of some sort. We need them supervised in an area, so at the end of the day, when I or the school provides a room for some high school students to gather and meet with a little bit of supervision.”
According to the First Amendment, and rules related to the separation of church and state when it comes to Freedom of Religion, schools, and their staff members, cannot promote or endorse a specific religion, or organize a club or group themselves; however, students can organize prayers on a public school campus as long as they don’t disrupt school activities, and any limitations must be applied consistently to all speech.
Knowing that, Contour and Prose set out to find a teacher who would be willing to supervise, not lead, their group. Spanish teacher, Lisa Salerno agreed to be that person.
“I was happy to do it,” Salerno said. “The group seems super respectful and always puts everything away. I don’t foresee any issues that I have to get involved in when I’m trying to do something else, I think the group really seems like a great bunch of kids.”
The group meets on Mondays at 7 a.m. in room 116. They play Christian music and read and discuss Bible verses together and discuss future plans for the group.
The act of Salerno opening up her room for the students is the type of attitude that the group hopes to spread throughout the school.
“I want everyone, regardless of beliefs, to feel welcome,” Prose said. “The Bible study is a place to build relationships, and I want everyone to feel like they can have a good time. It is an open space that is free of judgment where everyone who wants to come belongs.”