Bible Club Returns to High School Campus

A high school Bible club in Michigan has resumed holding meetings on school grounds and may need a bigger meeting room because of its growing membership following a federal court action.

The Connect for Christ Bible Club may now hold after school meetings using Northville High School facilities following a consent judgment signed by U.S. District Court Judge Arthur J. Tarnow. The club had been banned from school grounds since April 2000.

According to the court order, the school must allow the Bible club to have the same access to school facilities as other non-curriculum clubs at the school.

"Schools often face difficult decisions when they must recognize the First Amendment rights of students while insuring they do not violate the Establishment Clause," said Richard Thompson, chief counsel for the Thomas More Center for Law and Justice, which argued the case on behalf of the Bible club's student leader, Nicolette Pearce.

"This is a personal victory for Nicolette, who stood up for her faith and constitutional rights," said Thompson. "She serves as a role model for young and old alike."

The lawsuit against Northville High School was filed in November 2000, arguing that the school's exclusion of the Bible club was a violation of the Federal Equal Access Act.

According to Thompson, a number of Northville School Board members have apologized to Pearce for the school's position, and the consent order guarantees that the Bible club will continue to have the same access to school facilities as other clubs engaged in activities not directly related to schoolwork.

Actions Have Consequences

One of the immediate results of the school's decision to ban the Bible club was a tapering-off of club membership, which Thompson said shrank from as many as 100 students to "a dozen or maybe less."

"They were one of the more, if not the most popular club in school at the time, and they were having meetings that would bring in anywhere from 40 to 60 students, and in some meetings, it went up to a hundred students," said Thompson.

According to Thompson, the decision to banish the club from school grounds "basically crippled the club when the school said they could no longer meet on school premises," because members were forced to meet at private homes in the evenings rather than immediately following school.

Many former club members held evening jobs or had transportation problems, which Thompson said contributed to the decline in membership when the group was forced off campus.

The Bible club now meets each Tuesday at 2:30 p.m., and Thompson said membership has grown to "about 22 students and they already need a bigger room."

Safeguards for Future Meetings

The problems faced by the Northville High School Bible club are not unique, and Thompson said many similar groups across the country experience similar difficulties with their schools.

"I would call it a major problem," in the United States, said Thompson, often because of ignorance of the provisions of the Equal Access Act.

"Even though Congress passed the Equal Access Act, even though there is a U.S. Supreme Court case that upheld the constitutionality of that act, many schools are not well informed about the provisions," said Thompson.

Political considerations may also come into play, and Thompson said some school officials may become "so intimidated by the (American Civil Liberties Union) anytime something sounding like a religious club wants to come on the school premises, their knee jerk reaction is 'no.'"

Thompson also said the order, which was signed by Judge Tarnow on March 19, requires all teachers and school administrators to be briefed on the Equal Access Act, and that no members of the Bible club will be singled out for selective enforcement of school policies.

"If the school violates any of the provisions, the students will be required first to present it to the superintendent for correction of the violation and if the violation is not corrected within 15 days, then the students will be allowed to file a motion for contempt," said Thompson.

Scott Hogenson, Executive Editor
CNSNews.com, Copyright 2001