Prayers around Florence public school flag pole, 'Jesus pizza,' lawsuit alleges

[rug]

This image is one of the exhibits from a lawsuit that says Florence High School, a public school, is sponsoring religious activities.

By Jenny Brundin
May 26, 2015

A public school teacher is alleging that a Colorado high school sponsors religious activities including daily prayer circles at the school flagpole.

The lawsuit filed in a Denver court Tuesday alleges the activities at Florence High School southwest of Colorado Springs are sponsored by a local evangelical church called The Cowboy Church at Crossroads.

The church says it aims to quote “let God back in our schools.” According to the lawsuit, religious activities at the school include:

•Daily prayer at the flagpole in front of the school.
•School staff sometimes publicizes these prayer sessions during school hours over the school's public address system.
•Flyers promoting the prayer sessions are distributed to students during school hours and list the local pastor and the school principal as contact persons.
•Sometimes the prayer sessions are so large that students and faculty who are not participating cannot enter the school without interrupting the church's ceremony.
•Students who don't participate in the prayer sessions are sometimes asked by their fellow students why they refuse to come.
•The pastor and church hold weekly lunches during school hours at the school. The students refer to these lunches as referred to as "Jesus Pizza."
•A school-sponsored retreat was held at a religious facility and, in addition to lectures about Christ, each meal was preceded by prayer.

"By using a public school to further their own personal religious beliefs, the school administration made us all fund their own personal religion. Not only is that illegal, it’s wrong," says Paul Maxon, an attorney for the plaintiff, Robert Basevitz, a former teacher at the school. "We shouldn’t be forced to fund somebody else’s religious practices."

https://www.cpr.org/news/story/prayers-around-florence-public-school-flag-pole-jesus-pizza-lawsuit-alleges

https://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Cowboy-Church-at-Crossroads/370034133010

https://www.cpr.org/sites/default/files/20150420_complaint_to_murphy.pdf

[shenmue]

1. The school sponsored a church retreat?

Hello, lawsuit.

[xfundy]

2. Isn't the flagpole on school property?

Across the street, fine. But not on property bought by taxes.

[femmocrat]

4. My understanding is that religious activities can take place on school grounds as long as....

they are organized by the students and are before or after school hours. (Not sure about lunch time, though.)

Faculty should not be participating or promoting such activities. I have seen the "Prayer at the Pole" and it happened before school in the morning. If I'm not mistaken, the kids were driven to school by their parents. If they waited for them to arrive on the buses, it would have overlapped with school starting time.

It looks to me like that is what might have happened at the above school, if the crowd was so large that they were blocking the sidewalks.

[Jim__]

3. The students refer to these lunches as ... "Jesus Pizza."

It sounds like the students know what's going on. Great label!

[iwillalwayswonderwhy]

5. Hold hands and close eyes

Get free pizza.

[cbayer]

6. I think they have stepped far over the line.

Allowing kids to pray is ok. Having the school sponsor it, not ok.

[raccoon]

7. I was surprised it wasn't Florence, SC. nt

[cbayer]

8. Colorado, particularly around CO Spgs is just as bad.