Raw Story: fight as Waynesville high school blocks secular student group

Excerpted from Raw Story:

A fight is brewing between the administration at Pisgah High School in Waynesville, North Carolina and a group of students who want to form a secular student group. According to the national Secular Students Association (SSA) website, the high school students have been joined in their effort by the SSA and the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU).

Four months ago a student at Pisgah approached the administration about forming a group for non-religious students. Assistant Principal Connie Weeks told the student that she needed to “look into” the feasibility of forming such a group. In a subsequent meeting, Weeks told the student that such a group wouldn’t “fit in” with the school’s current roster of extra-curricular clubs.

Besides, Weeks said, she couldn’t find a faculty sponsor for the club. At all subsequent meetings with the student, school officials refused to discuss the issue any further.

SSA reported that under the Equal Access Act, schools must appoint a faculty member to sponsor such a club if one was not immediately available. The student contacted SSA, who in turn contacted the Freedom from Religion Foundation (FFRF) and the American Civil Liberties Union.

SHARE

Before you comment

The comments section is here to provide a platform for civil dialogue on the issues we face together as a local community. Xpress is committed to offering this platform for all voices, but when the tone of the discussion gets nasty or strays off topic, we believe many people choose not to participate. Xpress editors are determined to moderate comments to ensure a constructive interchange is maintained. All comments judged not to be in keeping with the spirit of civil discourse will be removed and repeat violators will be banned. See here for our terms of service. Thank you for being part of this effort to promote respectful discussion.

0 thoughts on “Raw Story: fight as Waynesville high school blocks secular student group

  1. bsummers

    Apparently, Atheist/Agnostic/Nontheist students have fewer rights than “normal” students.

    Way to go, Waynesville High School. Your comrades in the Taliban salute you.

Leave a Reply

To leave a reply you may Login with your Mountain Xpress account, connect socially or enter your name and e-mail. Your e-mail address will not be published. All fields are required.