A lawsuit seeking to stop a West Virginia school district from sponsoring in-school religious assemblies was filed Thursday by attorneys representing the Freedom From Religion Foundation and 11 parents and students at the school.
The action, filed in federal district court for West Virginia’s Southern District, accuses the Cabell County Board of Education and Huntington High School of having “repeatedly allowed teachers and outside adults to promote and conduct religious activity for students under its care,” regardless of whether the students want to participate.
Also named as defendants are Superintendent Ryan Saxe and Principal Daniel Gleason. The suit seeks an injunction against the district permitting such events during school hours, “nominal” damages of $1 for each of the 11 plaintiffs, as well as court fees and legal costs.
The Washington Times contacted Mr. Saxe for comment on the lawsuit but did not receive an immediate response.
Several of the students, who identified as either Jewish or “non-religious” said in the court filing they felt pressured to attend a Feb. 2 “revival meeting” held at Huntington High School during the homeroom period.
According to the complaint, evangelist Nik Walker told the students they needed to make a decision to follow Jesus or face eternal punishment.
“You will remember this service. You will remember this moment. You will remember this opportunity … where you had … this chance to make it right. And you will be tormented with this memory over, and over, and over, and over, and it never ends, like it’s eternity. And then it’s done. So I present you with a fork in the road this morning,” Mr. Walker said, according to the lawsuit.
Initially, media reports indicated, officials said attendance at the evangelistic services was voluntary.
But on Feb. 11, Mr. Saxe released a statement saying some students may have been “required” to participate, and that the school board was investigating.
“The district honors students’ rights to express their views,” Mr. Saxe said in the statement. “The district also respects students’ rights to religious expression. However, forcing religious expression on those with differing beliefs is not acceptable and is not in alignment with district, state, or federal policy and will not be tolerated by my administration or the Board of Education.”
The lawsuit said whether there was mandatory attendance is, in the final legal analysis, irrelevant.
“Regardless of whether attendance is mandatory or voluntary, the defendants violate the First Amendment by permitting, coordinating and encouraging students to attend an adult-led worship service and revival at their school during the school day,” the suit stated.
• Mark A. Kellner can be reached at mkellner@washingtontimes.com.
Please read our comment policy before commenting.