26 Nov 2003

SHORELINE, Wash. — Officials at Shorecrest High School reversed course and will grant a student-led Bible club recognition as an official "associated student body," according to Agape News.

The school had denied the official status, citing concerns about the so-called "separation of church and state."

The reversal came after The Rutherford Institute, a law firm that specializes in religious liberty cases, applied legal pressure.

Institute attorney Casey Mattox said he does not think the school intended to discriminate against Christians specifically, but acted on a constitutional misunderstanding.

That misunderstanding was "basically just an issue of misunderstanding what the First Amendment provides and what it means," Mattox said.

"We spoke with the principal and then worked with the school board attorney," Mattox said, "and they quickly realized that they could not deny official recognition to the Christian Bible study group."

The club was granted the same access that other non-curricular clubs enjoy on campus. It can receive funding and will be allowed to advertise events over the loudspeaker and on school bulletin boards, the news service reported.

Maddox said similar cases are all too common in the United States.

"We just keep running into situations like this, where school districts just don’t seem to get the message," he said.