THE Freedom From Religion Foundation urges Capistrano Unified School District board member to to stop using his position on the school board to promote his personal religious views while denigrating others.
A concerned member of the district community reported that board member Lisa Davis was using her position to impose her religious beliefs on district parents and community members and to denigrate non-Christian students and families in the district. district, particularly members of the Satanic Temple who organized an after-school club. The plaintiff pointed out that although he is not a “Satanist,” he was shocked and appalled that a school board member would say “Satanists are the worst” and seek to deny them equal rights .
At the Jan. 17 board meeting, Davis urged the district to develop a policy to deny access to school facilities to groups not aligned with its Christian values. In his full statement, she suggested that members of the Satanic Temple are comparable to Nazis, Hitler, the Proud Boys, Antifa and the KKK. She then called the Satanic Temple a “hate group” and felt that they should not be able to identify with their chosen religious affiliation, but should instead change it to something which she personally approves:
Make no mistake, the satanic (sic) group is a hate group organized for the specific purpose of mocking and dismantling (sic) Christian beliefs. It could very easily be renamed an open-minded group, a scientific group, or even an atheist group. Choosing to present yourself as a satanic group only serves to express hatred. While we respect everyone’s right to believe what they want and worship what they want, the nature of this group requires this organization to understand the limits of its policies. Why is this okay and not a Nazi group? So, although the United States Supreme Court has ruled on related issues, I know of no specific precedent that would prevent us from denying the existence of a Satanic Club, if that is indeed the decision of the Board of Justice. ‘administration.
Davis also used his position as a board member to organize a prayer walk on February 11 at Truman Benedict Elementary School to further promote his personal religious beliefs and take action against the After School Satan Club. The plaintiff reports that community members questioning her event and its discriminatory intent on her official Instagram page, where Davis regularly posts important information as a board member, were blocked and their comments removed .
“While board members are free to promote their personal religious beliefs as they wish in their personal capacity outside of the school board, as government officials they cannot be permitted to abuse their position to promote their personal religious beliefs and denigrate members of minority religions. » FFRF attorney Chris Line writes to board chair Krista Castellanos.
The Establishment Clause of the Constitution – which protects Americans’ religious freedom by ensuring the continued separation of religion and government – states that the government may not show favoritism toward religion in any way, FFRF points out . Statements by school board members are attributable to the district. It is inappropriate and unconstitutional for the District or its agents to promote a religious message because it expresses the government’s preference for religion over nonreligion.
As members of the school board, Davis and all other board members serve a diverse population made up of not only Christians, but also religious and non-religious minority students, parents and community members. Religious communications made in an official capacity send a message that excludes those who are part of 37 percent non-Christian Americans, including nearly one in three American adults (28 percent) who have no religious affiliation. Religious statements coming from the school board needlessly alienate non-Christian and non-religious residents of the Capistrano Unified School District, turning them into outsiders in their own community.
FFRF therefore requests that all board members refrain from discussing their religious beliefs during meetings in order to uphold the rights of conscience enshrined in the First Amendment, and that the board remember that both While it allows other nonprofit groups to host clubs in school facilities after school hours, it must allow all nonprofit organizations to do so, including the After School Satan Club.
“At FFRF, we would much prefer that religious clubs not meet at all in our public schools, because religion divides, as this controversy shows, and taxpayers of all religions, and no religion, pay the “maintenance of schools,” says Annie Laurie, co-president of the FFRF. Gaylor. “But if Christians are allowed to organize after-school clubs for students, then non-Christian clubs have the right to meet and be treated with respect. »
The Freedom From Religion Foundation is a national nonprofit organization with more than 40,000 members and several chapters across the country, including more than 5,100 members and two local chapters in California. Our goals are to protect the constitutional principle of separation between state and church and to educate the public on issues related to nontheism.
