(AgapePress) - A public high school in Washington state has been slapped with a federal lawsuit for barring two Christian students from forming a Bible club on campus.

A year and a half ago, Sarice Undis and Julianne Steward set out to have the "Truth" Bible club formally recognized as a student-initiated, non-curricular club on the campus of Kentridge High School. The school has twice denied the club recognition partly because of “separation of church and state.” Also, the Kentridge principal is on record as saying that naming the club “Truth” will make some students feel they are living a lie.

The Alliance Defense Fund (ADF), a national legal organization based in Scottsdale, Arizona, is representing the two girls. Robert Tyler, lead attorney for the students and legal counsel with the ADF, states in a press release that the courts have already ruled on cases similar to this one.

"The school can’t hide behind the Associated Student Body procedures to treat these students like pariahs,” Tyler says. “Other student groups are allowed to meet during non-instructional time on campus and to receive school funds for operation."

Gary McCaleb, also with the ADF, says this is a clear case of discrimination against Christians and a violation of the girls' freedom of speech and equal access rights. He states that in America, students routinely start clubs on various interests not directly related to the curriculum, citing the Gay Straight Alliance, chess club, multicultural student union, snowboarders club, and other special-interest clubs at Kentridge as examples.

“All they're asking for is to receive the same treatment as [other] student clubs -- but they're not getting equal treatment.” McCaleb explains.

“I see no other reason for it other than saying ‘Christians, keep out. We'll allow the homosexuals in, we'll allow the snowboarders in, we'll allow the future business leaders in -- we allow anybody until it comes to a Bible club,’ and all of a sudden there's a big fence there.”

McCaleb says school officials in Washington state seem to be 30 years behind the time. He states that the case comes down to a matter of neutrality and equal treatment -- and neutrality, he says, does not include rejecting a Bible club because of its viewpoint or name.

Tyler adds, “Our first choice is to work things out, but when the school takes the position Kentridge has taken, we have no choice but to fight for the rights of students of faith.”

© 2003 AgapePress all rights reserved.

E-mail this page to a friend

Printer-Friendly Version

Read all of our current headlines