Secular Students Stonewalled At Public Schools

Greta Christina has an important piece on AlterNet about the push back that secular student groups are receiving from school administrators.

High school student Brian Lisco just wanted to form a student club. A senior at Stephen Austin High School in the Houston suburbs, Lisco wanted to meet with like-minded students; students who shared common interests, who could talk about ideas they found interesting, who could give one another support.

But his efforts were consistently thwarted by the administration at his high school. His requests to form a club were stalled for months, and obstacle after obstacle was put in his path.

When I moved from our Jewish Miami suburb to finish high school in Houston, I was exposed to a non-stop Christian exploitation of high school life.  Whether it was the ubiquity of “Young Life” posters all over the halls or the social studies teacher who brought in evangelists to “testify” in her class, I was stunned by how these Christians were running the show.  The year after I graduated they dedicated the yearbook to Jesus Christ.

Now these believers have the audacity to reject secular student groups?  It was the religious who originally pushed for laws to allow religious extracurricular groups.  I say we do everything in our power to support these secular kids.  I can only imagine the pressure they’re under, especially in places like Houston.  You can support the Secular Student Alliance at this link.