Principals Thwarted in Attempts to Interfere in School Prayer Rallies
by Allie Martin
September 22, 2004
(AgapePress) - Millions of Christian students were able to gather on their public school campuses last week to pray as part of the annual "See You at the Pole" observances. But students in at least two schools had to threaten legal action for their right to assemble and pray.In Arizona, a high school principal wanted to restrict the rally to a limited time and ordered students to end the rally well before school began. Meanwhile, in Michigan another high school principal allowed students to organize a See You at the Pole rally, but forbade them from advertising the event using posters on campus.
Brad Dacus is president of the California-based Pacific Justice Institute, which was involved in both cases. He describes what happened after his firm sent legal demand letters to the principals, clearly explaining the law regarding equal access.
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"[The] good news is the principals, once they understood the law, went ahead and allowed these clubs to go on and have the same rights and access to the facility as any other club," Dacus says. The Arizona rally was permitted in its entirety, and the posters in the Michigan school were permitted to be put up the same day the letter was received.See You at the Pole, birthed by a group of Texas teenagers who had attended a DiscipleNow weekend together, began in 1990. Dacus laments there are still some school administrators who are not aware that such rallies are constitutionally protected free speech.
"Despite the fact that the See You at the Pole has been occurring for a good number of years now ... there are still administrators [and] principals out there in public schools that have this attitude or idea that somehow they have to restrict it or limit it more than they would any other student activity," the attorney says. "And, of course, that's not the case. [T]he law protects these students."
According to Dacus, the Arizona principal -- when approached by concerned parents who requested a less discriminatory policy -- even threatened to cancel the rally entirely.
PJI is in the process of publishing a handbook the discusses the various legal rights and responsibilities of parents, students, and administrators in public education. Dacus and his wife Susanne have also authored a book, Reclaim Your School, that addresses the issue of evangelizing in the public school system.
The theme of this year's See You at the Pole rallies was "Ascend: Clean Hands, Pure Heart," taken from Psalm 24:3-4.
