An evangelical Christian group has filed a federal lawsuit claiming religious bias, saying it had to rent Williamsburg public school space provided free to secular groups such as the Boy Scouts.
The Williamsburg/James City County School Board and superintendent "targeted religion for disparate treatment," according to the suit against them by Child Evangelism Fellowship of Virginia. The lawsuit was filed Wednesday in U.S. District Court in Norfolk.
D. Patrick Lacy Jr., the school division's attorney, said Monday that he hadn't reviewed the suit and had no comment.
Child Evangelism Fellowship, a national nonprofit group founded in 1937, has evangelized young children for years with home-based after-school clubs. It also runs Good News Clubs in public schools after students are dismissed for the day. The group is based in Warrenton, Mo., and has six chapters in Virginia.
In 2001, CEF won a U.S. Supreme Court ruling stipulating that if a district allowed community groups to use school space, religious groups had a constitutional right to equal access.
In South Hampton Roads, there are Good News Clubs meeting in at least five public schools in Chesapeake, Suffolk and Portsmouth.
According to the lawsuit, CEF received permission from Williamsburg school officials last year to use a classroom at D.J. Montague Elementary School for club meetings.
The school division's policy calls for a user fee but allows the superintendent to waive the fees in some cases, including for all Boy Scout and Girl Scout activities.
CEF had to pay $12.50 an hour to use a classroom, the suit states.
The group paid under protest and asked Superintendent Gary S. Mathews for access on the same terms as the Scouts. CEF said in the suit that Mathews refused to waive the fee.
CEF is arguing that the school division's actions are discriminatory and violate the group's constitutional right to freedom of speech and equal protection.
The group is seeking a ruling that would let it use school space in Williamsburg schools "on an equal basis with non-religious groups that are permitted to use the school facilities at no charge."
Steven G. Vegh, (757) 446-2417, steven.vegh@pilotonline.com
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How's that?
A Christian group is suing a public school because it allows another private, Christian club (the Boy Scouts) to use their facilities but not them. How exactly is that religious bias?
Maybe the school's keeping them away from impressionable minds because they recognize a poorly informed bunch of trouble makers just looking to file a lawsuit and make the news?
If one group get the facility for free...
Either everyone pays or no one should pays. Making groups pay (or not pay) because they are a particular type of activity is not lawful.
Both sides have it wrong
CEF is wrong to describe the scouts as a secular community group. BSA excludes gays and non-believers and has fought many legal battles as a result. The school system is wrong because BSA’s discriminatory practices should have disqualified them from using school facilities at all, let alone free of charge. Both groups should conduct their exclusionary practices on their own dime in private homes and facilities without easy access to pliable young minds. Williamsburg’s blunder will likely result in both groups enjoying use of public facilities at no charge – a win-win situation for proselytizers.
Tired of Evangelical Hubris
Once again, religious evangelical groups trying to force themselves on the public, insinuating themselves into public venues, relentlessly seeking to become entwined with secular law so that one day we too can have our version of Sharia law, rule by religion. How's that working for the Middle East?
What happened to religious activities taking place in CHURCHES? Surely there is no shortage of churches to be found in Tidewater. You can't go a block without tripping over one. This is simply a way to get a foot in the door of the schoolhouse and planted firmly among our children.
Want to evangelize to the children? Pick one of the multitudes of churches in this area, most likely free of charge, and advertise your services there. Leave the schools alone.
Programming the little ones
Man, why don't you wait until the kids are older before loading em up with all this religion stuff. Their brains aren't developed enough to understand it. You come clean about Santa Claus and the Easter Bunny, but tell them the other guy up there exists with no proof. It's not right.
Awe get over it people....
A Church group in my area pays a fee to use space at an intermediate school up the street from me. Here's a vital message ....."NOTHING IS FREE ANYMORE!!!"