ACLU Claims School District in Missouri Cannot Invite Students to Religious Events

By Kris Coombs, Christian Post Contributor Monday, January 09, 2012

The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) claims the St. Joseph School District in Northwest Missouri violated the First Amendment following the distribution of invitations to students for religious events.

The ACLU sent a letter to the school district arguing that speakers, which were arranged through the Fellowship of Christian Athletes, have been inviting students to religious events after they held presentations. Jeremy Tedesco of the Alliance Defense Fund (ADF) says the speakers are within their constitutional rights.

"They have the right to do that. The FCA club members have First Amendment rights to hand out fliers and invite students to events and activities that are religious in nature," Jeremy Tedesco of the Alliance Defense Fund (ADF) said, according to OneNewsNow.

Tedesco also told the conservative website that if the district has enacted clear policies regarding these types of events, they should not be intimidated by the ACLU’s threats.

Stephen Briggs, school attorney, said that the St. Joseph School District has not broken the law, nor its policies regarding motivational speakers.

"The separation of church and state threat is something the ACLU and other groups like them throw around a lot, and most of the time, it has no real, legitimate application to what's going on in the given situation," Tedesco explained. "The ACLU just relies on it as a fear tactic to get the school districts to shut down things they don't like."