Written by Don Byrd
A Middle School in Indiana has changed its policy and now prohibits a local minister from visiting the school during lunchtime to interact with the students. Following a complaint from parents, the school made the change, at virtually the same time a lawsuit was filed by the ACLU. AP reports:
The lawsuit claimed a youth pastor from a church attended by many local families regularly visited lunch at Summit Middle School, standing in a “prominent location” in the lunchroom and talking with students who are required to eat there. The minister was allowed to hand out materials and move from table to table, talking with children, the claim states. The suit does not specify whether the materials were religious in nature.
“Many of the children recognize him as a religious leader. No other persons who are not associated with the school are allowed to stand in the lunchroom like this. This is coercive and represents an endorsement of religion,” the complaint alleges.
Reporting in the piece suggests the lawsuit will be dropped once the ACLU has received confirmation of the change in policy.
