Parents in Kansas are outraged after they learned that a public school principal allowed an evangelical Christian missionary to pass out Bibles to students earlier this year.
Many parents are citing that their First Amendment rights have been violated. As a result, they’ve contacted the American Civil Liberties Union of Kansas, which has sent a letter to the school district.
Bibles Being Handed Out During Recess
According to the ACLU of Kansas, Katie Struebing, the principal of East Elementary School in Belleville, Kansas, invited an evangelical Christian missionary to give students Bibles.
This event occurred in May. Ben Dreesen, a missionary of the Gideons International Christian organization, gave students Bibles during recess.
A Planned Event
Before Dreesen arrived at the school to give students Bibles, Struebing reportedly told the school’s staff that she would visit classrooms to talk with the children.
During these visits, she would inform the students of a “nice man” who was going to hand out Bibles during recess.
Encouraging Students to Take Bibles
Furthermore, this letter from the ACLU also alleged that Struebing allowed the missionary on school grounds — during school hours — and then was with him when he passed out Bibles to students in this public school.
The principal also reportedly encouraged other school district staff members to partake in this event.
Quick Outrage
This event quickly led to outrage once parents learned what had occurred during recess in May. Many parents felt it wasn’t right for the public school to allow this to happen, as it goes against the separation of church and state.
As a result, one of the student’s parents of this school reached out to the ACLU about what had occurred.
Pushing Religion in a Public School
The ACLU has accused the principal of lending her “credibility and authority” to the Christian missionary as he handed out Bibles, as she was accompanying him throughout this event.
The organization also stated that Struebing’s efforts subjected “students to a religiously coercive atmosphere” by “placing a stamp of approval on his message.”
Violating the School District’s Policy
The ACLU also pointed out that Struebing violated her own school district’s policy when she decided to go to each classroom to talk with students about the “nice man” handing out Bibles.
According to the district’s policy, employees cannot use classrooms to “promote or convey” any religious viewpoints.
The Separation of Church and State
Many parents of these students were upset with this event, as they felt the public school was pushing a specific religion onto their students.
Therefore, the ACLU sent this letter to the school “to educate and remind the principal and the school district what’s required with respect to separation of church and state.”
The Push for Religion in Public Schools
This latest incident in Kansas is yet another example of how many public schools around the United States are toeing the line in their push to add more religion — often Christian religion — in public school classrooms.
Many of these efforts are being encouraged by Republican-led states. These supporters have claimed that students should learn more about the Christian religion, as the country was founded on many of these principles.
Violating Americans’ Constitutional Rights
Perhaps most notably, Louisiana has officially passed a law requiring every single public school classroom in the state to have a Ten Commandments poster hanging on its walls.
Parents and critics of these moves have stated that these laws violate their constitutional rights to freedom of religion and a separation of church and state.
Parents Don’t Want Religion in Classrooms
Many parents — as well as many religious leaders — have stated that they don’t want students to be taught religion in public school classrooms, for various reasons.
Studies have also shown that a majority of Americans do not want public schools in any way influencing students’ religious beliefs.
Other Kansas School Incidents
While much of the nation is facing similar events, this is the second school in Kansas that has had a public incident after school district employees tried to pass out Bibles to elementary school students.
These Bibles were also going to be handed out by Gideon missionaries. However, after the district received prompt parent backlash to this idea, the district “walked back the decision.”
