A public school may hold school activities in a religious building, if at all, only if the venue is effectively secularized so as not to associate the school with religion. That generally means that religious iconography (e.g., religious artwork or symbols) and texts must be covered or removed. Furthermore, at least one federal court has concluded that it is always unconstitutional for a public high school to hold its graduation ceremony in a church, even if there is no visible iconography. Any constitutional violations will be compounded if there is a suitable secular location where the event could have been held instead. If your public school has selected a religious venue for a school-sponsored event, ask the school to find a secular location, or contact Americans United. If your school is planning to host an event, or has hosted a past, recurring event, in a house of worship, please provide any information you have about that event, including: 1. What type of event is it? 2. Where and when will the event be held? 3. Are there alternate secular venues in the area that could accommodate the audience? 4. If it is a recurring event (such as an annual assembly), please provide a detailed description of the venue, as well as pictures or videos from past events if you have them.
Title | C00035: Complaint of School Event Held at Church |
Publisher | Citizens Oversight |
Author | Raymond Lutz |
Pub Date | 2011-02-15 |
Media Link | https://copswiki.org/w/pub/Common/M1140/C00035-2011-02-15-ComplaintOfSchoolEventHeldAtChurch.pdf |
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Keywords | Church State Separation, Grossmont Union High School District |
Media Type | |
Media Group | News, Request Letter |
Curator Rating | Plain |
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I | Attachment | Action | Size | Date | Who | Comment |
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C00035-2011-02-15-ComplaintOfSchoolEventHeldAtChurch.pdf | manage | 96 K | 15 Feb 2011 - 23:25 | Raymond Lutz | C00035 2011-02-15 Complaint of School Event Held at Church |