For the second day in a row, the national anti-religion activist group, Freedom From Religion Foundation (FFRF), is going after an Alabama entity.
On Thursday, FFRF issued a statement calling for the principal at Stanhope Elmore High School in Millbrook to be reprimanded for allowing a faith-based recovery program director to speak at the school.
John Eklund, founder of “Recovery Alive,” spoke to the school on April 12 and then posted about it on Facebook. Eklund wrote that principal Ewell Fuller said, “I’ve been doing this for 26 years. If I’m gonna get in trouble, it might as well be for Jesus!”
The FFRF claimed the speaker foisted Christianity on the students. It said multiple parents reached out to the foundation.
“Complainants informed FFRF that students were called to supposedly attend a mandatory ‘mental health’ seminar, but instead, they were subjected to Christian proselytizing by Eklund, who preached to students about Jesus and led them in prayer,” the FFRF stated in a press release.
“It is unconstitutional to take away instructional time from students to expose them to religious proselytizing,” FFRF attorney Chris Line wrote to Elmore County Schools Superintendent Richard E. Dennis. “It is well settled that public schools may not show favoritism towards or coerce belief or participation in religion.”
The FFRF asked Dennis to take immediate action and provided information on recent lawsuits the foundation has filed against other boards of education.
Wednesday, the FFRF published a similar letter concerning prayer during roll-call for the Birmingham Police Department.
To connect with the author of this story or to comment, email erica.thomas@1819news.com.
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