May 08 2006
Updated with additional information -> Monroe High School throws out the Gay Baby with the Christian Bathwater
Note, the article referenced below implies that the Monroe School district was attempting to deny access to a Bible Study Group. The article states that A policy change at Monroe High School aimed at keeping public funds out of Bible studies is striking a blow to a less controversial student activity.
The implication that the Monroe SD had said intention was fairly straight forward, and in part was what my blog was based on. A call to the Herald reporter revealed that Monroe High was not actively involved with any bible related clubs in the course of this ruling. It was taking its action in an apparently preemptive move based on the results of a federal lawsuit in Bethel School in 2002.
The intention of the article was to imply that the policy’s inception had been to deny a bible club access when it was implemented by Bethel SD, and that Monroe SD was implementing a similar policy, for reasons unstated.
I would note that the accusation that the policy was implemented to deny the gay club formal recognitions, which was addressed and denied in the article, may actually be the accusation closer to the truth. See below for more information and a history of the lawsuit.
Monroe High School, a small School in Northern Washington has made a policy change that is sure to have repercussions that ripple farther outward.
At issue is student clubs. The situation is apparently that a Christian Club was being denied access and ASB funds, a privilege that other clubs enjoyed, and protested, citing the Supreme Court Ruling concerning equal access.
The school reviewed its options and decided the only way to prevent those darn Christians from having the same rights was to chuck them all. So it partitioned the clubs into two classes, curriculum related and not curriculum related.
Any clubs not directly related to school curriculum will not be recognized. And so to stop the Christians they tossed the baby out with the bath water.
The Christian Club was not the only one affected, as hit by this was the Multicultural Club, the Gay Straight Alliance, and the Kiwanis sponsored Key Club. Here is the story.
Monroe High School restricts student activity clubs: If they’re not related to curriculum, the school board rules, they won’t be sponsored.
A policy change at Monroe High School aimed at keeping public funds out of Bible studies is striking a blow to a less controversial student activity.
Nice that they make a distinction that bible clubs are so controversial…sheesh.
Next autumn, the Key Club, a popular community service group that has been on campus for 39 years, will no longer be sponsored by the school.
As a result, the club will be stripped of much of its ability to organize, advertise and raise funds for its activities.
"It will not thrive once its status is changed," said Tom Sorenson, president of the Monroe Kiwanis Club, an Indianapolis-based service organization that sponsors Key Clubs at 5,000 high schools worldwide.
The policy change, approved by school board members in March, divides student clubs into two main groups: those that are related to curriculum and those that aren’t.
Administrators made the change based on legal advice following a 2002 federal appeals court ruling in a Bethel School District case that concerned the rights of a Christian club.
"In essence, you have to draw a line," said Superintendent Bill Prenevost, noting local levy dollars support such extracurricular activities.
Prenevost has said he will recommend the board formally discuss the idea of a community service requirement at a future meeting, which may provide an opening for sponsorship for Key Club.
School board President Tom MacIntyre said district leaders are sympathetic. "We’ll certainly take a look at what we can do."
The partitioning is typical of many school districts, which are following an earlier U.S. Supreme Court distinction between curricular and noncurricular groups, said Daniel Montopoli, an attorney with Vandeberg Johnson & Gandara in Tacoma.
"School districts across the country are struggling with this. It’s a very complex area of law," Montopoli said.
Along with the Key Club, the Multicultural Club and Gay Straight Alliance also will lose Monroe High School sponsorship. All groups still can meet on campus before and after school.
Losing sponsorship means the clubs:
"The biggest issue for these clubs is that without a volunteer adviser, they will literally fall apart," said senior Martha Burwell, 18, Monroe’s ASB president.
Groups can petition the Associated Student Body for recognition, though they still would face many restrictions.
Burwell said an active group such as Key Club, which performs dozens of service projects each semester, would likely find it tedious to go to the ASB board repeatedly for permission to hold each event.
Multicultural Club president Andrianna Petrushka, 15, a junior, said it’s been hard enough to raise money and plan activities with her club’s five members.
"I just don’t think anyone will want to come to club. I don’t think it will survive," she said.
The timing is troubling for the Gay Straight Alliance, which has existed informally on campus for several years but this year was pursuing formal recognition.
It had conditional approval from the school last fall and was waiting to appear before the school board for district approval.
"I feel they’re pushing us under the table," said co-president Hillary Liebman, 18, a senior.
The club has drawn opposition from some Monroe residents, who have attended past school board meetings to protest a mission that promotes tolerance of homosexuality.
Prenevost said the timing of the policy change "gives the appearance that the two were related, but they weren’t."
At a school board meeting last week, several Kiwanis members asked that community service hours be added as a graduation requirement, something that could bring Key Club back into the school-sponsored fold.
Key Club members say their activities, such as carving pumpkins for hospital patients and holding blood drives twice a year, epitomize the school district’s educational mission.
"I can graduate high school with my shiny new diploma and freshly ironed cap and gown, logarithms memorized, know all the names and birth dates of the presidents, and can use parenthetical documentation perfectly," said junior Shayla Behling, 16.
"But if I’m not an active member of society, what good are these skills?"
I predict the ACLU will jump in and defend the clubs..all but the christian one.
UPDATE:
As noted above, the policy in question had its source in a lawsuit against the Bethel School District, Prince v. Jacoby. In that suit, a federal appeals court ruled that the school district violated the Equal Access Act of 1984 and the Free Speech Clause of the First Amendment when it failed to permit the Bible club to have access to the same benefits given to other student groups - including access to the school’s public address system. The SCOTUS has since refused to hear the schools appeal and the ruling stands.
A brief history from Freedforum.org:
The Bethel School District has two categories of student groups. The first category, called "Associated Student Body Organizations," includes groups that have formed with the approval and supervision of the school district. The district also permits students to form what it dubs "Student-Sponsored and Initiated Groups." These are not supervised by school officials and are not permitted to meet during school hours, unlike the Associated Student Body Organizations. Moreover, Associated Student Body Organizations receive school funding.
Spanaway officials rejected Prince’s request that her Bible club, called "World Changers," be granted status as an associated organization. Instead, school officials allowed her club to form as a student-sponsored group.
Represented by the American Center for Law and Justice, a national religious-rights group, Prince sued the school district, arguing that her Bible club should receive the same treatment as student groups formed with school approval.
Specifically the ACLJ argued that the school district’s denial of an official group status violated not only Prince’s freedom of speech and religious liberties, but also the federal Equal Access Act of 1984. The act requires public high schools that allow student groups to meet on campus to provide "equal access" for all groups, including religious ones. However, the act does place limits on school involvement with student religious groups. Teachers are allowed to monitor the groups but not participate.
The ACLJ argued that Prince’s Bible club was denied an array of benefits that officially recognized clubs received. For example, the ACLJ said the Bible club was not allowed to use the school’s intercom to announce meetings, not provided a free ad in the school yearbook or a free pass to the school’s annual club fair.
"The undisputed facts indicate that Defendants (Bethel School District), by policy and practice, do not give equal benefits to religious clubs solely because of their religious speech," the ACLJ said in its brief before the federal court. "It is undisputed that the Defendants’ Policy permits secular student initiated clubs to receive officially recognized ASB status, and therefore receive a substantial number of benefits, while student initiated religious clubs cannot."
The Court initially ruled for the defendents, but that was reversed on appeal and as such the ruling stands today.
What has apparently come of it is a dual class system of clubs, curiculum and non curiculum related. If the school allows any non curiculum clubs to form and be recognized as ASB clubs, it must allow all to do so with equal access, so the school districts have formed policies to eliminate recognition of all non curiculum related clubs, which is what happened here.
A speculation was made on a local radio show that this was in fear of more lawsuits based on christians demanding recognition. The same accusation was made about gay clubs. Both are likely true.
An interesting fact is the ACLU position on this.
They filed an amicus brief in support of the defendent, the school district. From the Washington affiliate:
ACLU believes that student-initiated clubs have the right to hold meetings on campus after hours and to use the school’s communication forums to announce the time and place of their meetings. All student-initiated clubs have the right to speak on campus and circulate leaflets or underground newspapers at school. However, ACLU believes that no student-initiated club has a legal right to force the school to give official endorsement and money to the group if the school does not wish to sponsor it. ACLU also believes that schools should not and cannot give official endorsement and money to student clubs that have discriminatory membership policies. These principles apply equally to all student-intiated clubs regardless of their subject matter, whether they are Bible Clubs, Gay/Straight Alliances, or Chess Clubs.
An interesting side fact, the Chess Club at Monroe was not listed as one of the clubs affected by the policy.
Under existing Washington law, affiliating a student club with the school’s Associated Student Body (ASB) is a method of conferring school endorsement and funding. Therefore, ACLU has consistently opposed the recent efforts to stretch the Equal Access Act into a guarantee of ASB affiliation, school endorsement, and school money. Properly understood, the Equal Access Act gives student clubs a right to meet and speak on campus. It does not give a right to force a school to bestow its official sponsorship or money on the club when the school either does not want to sponsor it or is legally prohibited from sponsoring it.
This is the position the ACLU took in Prince v. Jacoby, a case involving a student Bible club that discriminated on the basis of religion. The students wanted the school to accord ASB status to the club. ACLU’s amicus brief explained that affiliation with the ASB is a source of official endorsement and money, which is far different from the right to meet and speak on campus.
They clearly opposed an obvious case of equal protection, and have since in other cases requested the Courts return to pre Prince rules. (see ACLU.org)
To inform school districts about this significant change in the law, ACLU sent to all school districts in Washington a document titled "Associated Student Body Clubs Under the Equal Access Act.” The document explained how Prince changed the law, and suggested how school districts could best comply with it. Specifically, the ACLU recommended that schools should not condition the right of a group to meet or speak on campus with the privilege of affiliating with the ASB.
See their document here.
Another interesting fact is that the local ACLU has actually used the Prince ruling, which they oppose, to demand equal access for a Gay Straight Alliance Club in Yakima.
They are nothing if not opportunistic.
The bottom line on this is we now have a system where clubs that wish recognition and access to greater privilege on campus must try to prove a curiculum relationship in places like Monroe, or they must exist in a half life, with limited access and visibility.
All because someone didn’t want to let a few kids with a bible study use the PA to announce meetings. And once again the ACLU found it’s way against the 1st Ammendment.
While the article I referenced originally was slightly misleading in its lead paragraphs, the concept I drew from it still holds.
They threw out the gay baby with the christian bathwater.
12 Responses to “Updated with additional information -> Monroe High School throws out the Gay Baby with the Christian Bathwater”
I read just the other day of a recent case where the ACLU did in fact defend an intolerant christian
but I can’t recall which… And I wouldn’t want to pollute the discussion with facts…
This is where the biases come out… "The school reviewed its options and decided the only way to prevent those darn Christians from having the same rights was to chuck them all. " Perhaps I’m missing it, but I just don’t see that written anywhere. Why do you make that assumption?
You know what that damned cynical atheistic Possum thinks? Me thinks that if you were the schoolhouse mouse in the corner listening to the School Board you would find 1) Some members thought there were too many clubs to start with 2) Some wanted to kill the gay clubs but didn’t have the balls to push it and 3) This lawyer’s opinion gave them the opportunity to pull a Pontias Pilate, kill the whole expensive kit & kaboodle, get rid of the gays and probably some other wacko groups and BLAME THE WHOLE THING ON ANTI-CHRISTIAN BIAS!
It gets no better than that. Kill a giant pain in the ass and pin it 100% on a scapegoat… A scapegoat which was sure to be noted by the blogoshphere and snatched up like bait by a Bass…
Fish on!
This is where the biases come out… "The school reviewed its options and decided the only way to prevent those darn Christians from having the same rights was to chuck them all. " Perhaps I’m missing it, but I just don’t see that written anywhere. Why do you make that assumption?
Because the Article clearly said so:
I was merely exrtrapolating based on the information at hand, and it clearly says that was the goal of the policy change.
As for your opinion, you could be right, feel free to speculate your own unique way.
But I will note that there is a growing movement restricting christian groups in schools.
I can’t change the facts to make it sweeter and more PC. In the game of public correctness, being Gay is more correct then being a fundamentalist.
As for the ACLU, religion is clearly a first ammendment right. Its funny how they end up against it as much as they do, even when government has nothing to do with the case.
Do they sometimes back religion? Sure. But check the case logs and get the percentages. Do the math.
"aimed at keeping public funds out of Bible studies" I don’t consider that proof. That’s just the opinion of the author. I think my analysis stands. There are ulterior motives, and the anti-christian thing is a strawman. And I for one am tired of that bit of nonsense…
It doesn’t wash. 95% of this Nation is religious, and 80% M/L minimum christian of one flavor or another. Half of those are devout, churchgoing tithes paying devotees. You and the strawman peddlers would have us believe the tiny fraction not christian is through some [demonic?] artifice really in charge… "We" outsmarted all the rest …
What crap… I especially bridle at this. The minute fundamentalist christians find out I’m an atheist it’s all hell let out for lunch… Especially from the damned evangelicals, who will attack at any turn with any weapon, legal or not, in the workplace or anyplace.
"aimed at keeping public funds out of Bible studies" Ulterior motives… As I have oft remarked, American Christianity is intellectually bankrupt: Any hypotheticaal "church" big enough to hold Jesse Jackson and Pat Robertson is an absurdity… And they both bastardize the bible.
The observation bears on the situation: Theologically - and politically - who is the biggest foe of right-wing christians, the pro-life, bible thumping fundamentalist kind? LIBERAL CHRISTIANS. Theologically, who is the biggest foe of any one fundamentalist sect? OTHER FUNDAMENTALIST SECTS. If only you could be the schoolhouse mouse…
I bet every damned one of those school board members who voted to can this program were professed christians of one flavor or another, and probably a third to a half of them are churchgoers, even fundamentalists… But just like the fundamentalist abusers I was raised by, they will fight like hell to prevent another sect or group from gaining points. And the liberal ones just don’t want any fundamentalism…
So how about it. Any call on how many christians voted to ban the bible club, if that was really what it was about?
Or have we the ungodly minority just got the rest of you buffaloed?
"aimed at keeping public funds out of Bible studies" I don’t consider that proof. That’s just the opinion of the author. I think my analysis stands. There are ulterior motives, and the anti-christian thing is a strawman. And I for one am tired of that bit of nonsense…
It’s not nonsense. If the goal was to prevent a christian group from tapping into student body funds, as everyone but you seems to agree, then there are two problems., 1) the school for targeting the christians and 2) you for missing the obvious.
It doesn’t wash. 95% of this Nation is religious, and 80% M/L minimum christian of one flavor or another. Half of those are devout, churchgoing tithes paying devotees. You and the strawman peddlers would have us believe the tiny fraction not christian is through some [demonic?] artifice really in charge… "We" outsmarted all the rest …
Let’s see, how many times has one person’s whiny complaint changed something on the basis of religion? How about the city seal in Los Angeles? The cross in San Diego? The current lawsuits over the pledge and the Ten Commandments all over the country? Or even the silly trauma people had over a giving tree because it resembled a Christmas tree? Christmas pagents with all relgious caroles removed? Stores afraid to display Merry Christimas in advertising? Ron Sims and his idiotic meom?
Any time anything remotely christian rears its head people lose their minds.
What crap… I especially bridle at this. The minute fundamentalist christians find out I’m an atheist it’s all hell let out for lunch… Especially from the damned evangelicals, who will attack at any turn with any weapon, legal or not, in the workplace or anyplace.
"aimed at keeping public funds out of Bible studies" Ulterior motives… As I have oft remarked, American Christianity is intellectually bankrupt: Any hypotheticaal "church" big enough to hold Jesse Jackson and Pat Robertson is an absurdity… And they both bastardize the bible.
No bias there. Doesnt seem like you would care live and let live with them pesky christians any more then you complain they do with you. Intolerance runs two ways my friend, and frankly your bias is clear.
I wont argue the merits of the press hogging idiots of the faith. For every Copeland, or Dobson or Jackson or Falwell is about ten thousand sincere, devout loving people who believe in god, and who couldn’t care less what YOU believe or dont believe. Deal with it, because to most christians you don’t matter, except that some of them are concerned for your soul. Darn people for caring.
And it isn’t the Jacksons who suffer because of crap like this, just as often the poor shlub who gets his rights trampled. The Jacksons and Robertsons are the ones who misuse religion I agree, but in this case they are your strawman.
Take these kids for example. They wanted to associate at school with others of their faith. Other clubs could do fundraisers, have advisors, advertise and even tap into disctrict funds for transportation. Why deny the Christians the opportunities the Chess club, the Science club, JROTC, or even the Drama Club? Or for that matter maybe someone might want an athiest’s club, where they gather every Friday, bow their heads and thank Nobody. Now they cannot
Because it isn’t politically correct to give the christian’s access, because we wouldn’t want to be accused of endorsing them even by the allowance of their existence. And frankly such PC nonesense pisses me off.
I dont give a rodents rear end about your atheism until it tries to squash my expression as a christian. And neither do most christians I know.
The observation bears on the situation: Theologically - and politically - who is the biggest foe of right-wing christians, the pro-life, bible thumping fundamentalist kind? LIBERAL CHRISTIANS. Theologically, who is the biggest foe of any one fundamentalist sect? OTHER FUNDAMENTALIST SECTS. If only you could be the schoolhouse mouse…
Let me see if I understand this. You blame the Christians for attacks on christianity?
OOOOk, I expect you have some manner of proof? That is one of the more absurd things you’ve posted here.
I bet every damned one of those school board members who voted to can this program were professed christians of one flavor or another, and probably a third to a half of them are churchgoers, even fundamentalists… But just like the fundamentalist abusers I was raised by, they will fight like hell to prevent another sect or group from gaining points. And the liberal ones just don’t want any fundamentalism…
You know what, keep your baggage out of the argument and remain objective. Reading that, how friggin logical is it for a bunch of christians to deny access to a bunch of christians? Can you even for a moment see how ridiculous that sounds? Have you seen any indication of denomination or Sect here? This was not christians versus catholics, or orthodox versus charismatic. This was a bunch of kids who wanted a club and the grown ups told them no, you are too dangerous.
So how about it. Any call on how many christians voted to ban the bible club, if that was really what it was about?
Or have we the ungodly minority just got the rest of you buffaloed?
The school house mouse….I plan to follow up on this because from every report I have heard, it was the same issue: The school was afraid to let the christians have full access for fear of getting sued by non christians over church and state issues.
But they were afraid to deny them over equal access issues.
So they punted on a technicality and said screw all of you.
Cowards. Weak politically correct cowards.
And what is the most sick, is that the Multicultral club, the Gay club and even the Christian club at the heart of thsi didn’t rate the press.
The Kiwanis Key club is the only reason anyone cared enough to make this a Herald Article in the first place.
And to answer your veiled (and not so veiled) accusation, the subject of the Gay Club being the real motivator was in the article, and was denied. If it was, I would condemn if just as soundly if it turns out to be why. I think the entire thing is idiotic.
But since the article clearly state that the bible club was the motiviator, thats where my blog is aimed.
Im sticking with the facts as they are presented. But just FYI, I have made a few calls to get some more information. Just for you.
Being one of the taxpayers in this school district I am very happy with this decision. Any club (Christian or not) or activitiy that does not contribute directly to curriculum education should be eliminate from receiving our tax dollars. The sports teams should be forced to support themselves instead of continually sucking our tax dollars down some waste drain on a pipe dream. They are now trying to added community service requirements to enable the Key Club to continue sucking at the tax payers teat.
btw, Yes I am a Christan. If kids want Christian or whatever other kind of clubs then they can go to one of the dozen or so churches we have around here. A few support the gay things, one is Wiccan so the Wiccan kiddies can get a club there. The fundies can go to one of the 3-4 baptist churches in town.
Thanks for the response.
In general principle I do nto fully disagree. Some of the clubs that my own child’s school supports are a little strange to my taste too.
And yet at the same time we force on them from all sides the concept of diversity and encourage them to be a part of associations and preach to them the values of tolerance. My point on this was that an act of intolerance directed to one group had a wider reaching effect that may not be in the best interests of all.
I hope the Kiwanis fail in thier bid to require community service because they are doing it for the wrong reasons.
As for the school board, I have to concede that by basing their decision on ciriculum, the school board has wrought a fair system, even if it is a system of exclusion, not inclusion. It is at least consistent.
For now anyway.I expect every club will now be searching for some aspect that is linked to an element of ciriculum to open the door again.
My only lingering question has to do with why it took the christian club wanting recognition to say enough is enough. I think it is a fair question to ask.
Interesting question Karl. The Christian clubs have always existed in Monroe schools to some extent or the other. Perhaps the Christian club was just the final straw. Knowing the outgoing Super and a few of the board members I suspect that this was not Christian specific. As much as Christianity has been under attack I can not totally exclude the possibility that this is not Christian specific though. There are a couple of blowhards in the district that continually complain about everything.
Perhaps some interested students could start a WASL prayer club.
Local ACLU Story…
Leaning Straight Up has a local ACLU story to share.
……
You might notice I updated the article extensively. After our discussion I spoke to the reporter and learned some interesting facts.
Checked with one of my contacts last night Karl. This policy is going to be revisited by the school board. They are trying to be as permissive as possible but the precedence has been set by the previous action you notate above.
Realistically, I could see the schools losing all student clubs both curriculum and non-curriculum related. People want to push the boundries on the privledge of having student organized clubs. It is quite easy to turn this around and eliminate the headache by eliminating all clubs.
There is some discussion of whether the chess club should be exempt. I can see arguments both ways. Is this a club or a sport team? In many respects it resembles a sport team calling itself a club. If they deny ASB access to the chess club would all other sport teams have to follow suit out of fairness? How would this fair then when the SD goes to the voters again for more funds for athletic stadium improvements?
ACLU points out that you can not hand pick which ones get supported. The powers that be want an all or none rule. They may not like the results of a binary rule in an analog world.
Thanks for the info, I will update here if I learn anything new.
Good to know I’m not the only one who thinks this is important.