Any public school official that prevents or discourages students from participating in Wednesday’s “See You at the Pole” event is going to meet with a legal battle.
That’s because the Alliance Defense Fund has vowed to defend them, free of charge. In fact, ADF has already prepared a legal memo explaining the legal rights and precedents that entitle students to inform people about and take part in the annual prayer event.
“Christian students should not be prevented from peacefully expressing their beliefs outside of class time. They don’t abandon their constitutional rights at the schoolhouse gate,” says ADF senior counsel David Cortman. “Misinformed public school officials need to understand that the so-called ‘separation of church and state’ cannot be used as a reason to keep students from promoting or participating in ‘See You at the Pole.’”
“See You at the Pole” is an annual, student-organized, student-led gathering held at school flagpoles around the world, where students pray for their school, friends, teachers, government and nation. In the past, some government school officials have unconstitutionally kept students and staff from sharing about and participating in the event, often erroneously citing the so-called “separation of church and state” in connection with the First Amendment’s Establishment Clause.
“The only ‘wall’ that prevents religious expression is the anti-religious agenda of the ACLU and similar activist groups,” says ADF Legal Counsel Jeremy Tedesco. “Our government and courts have already spoken: Students have a constitutional right to participate in SYATP through prayer and worship activities.”
