Christian Outreach at Public Schools: Yes, it's legal!
Download Our Free Legal Rights Guide!
“Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.” —The US Bill of Rights
The 1st Amendment of the Constitution protects most of the major freedoms that you need in order to reach your school, specifically in two major ways.
Students have freedom of religion. People frequently misinterpret this to mean that government and religion should always be separated, but this is not true. Rather, the 1st Amendment simply says that government cannot interfere with religious practice.
Students have freedom of speech. That means that students can openly speak on their beliefs about God. This freedom extends to communicating through written form as well. Students can personally witness on campus, they can give away Christian materials - such as bibles, tracts, and even flyers that promote Christian events, and students can even wear clothing with Christian messages.
“It shall be unlawful for any public secondary school which receives Federal financial assistance and which has a limited open forum to deny equal access or a fair opportunity to, or discriminate against, any students who wish to conduct a meeting within that limited open forum on the basis of the religious, political, philosophical, or other content of the speech at such meetings.” —US Department of Justice
The Equal Access Act ensures that Christian clubs are given the same privileges on campus that every other club receives. This means that...
- If any club can meet on campus as a club,
- If any other club can reserve rooms/locations on campus,
- If any other club can invite guests to attend their meetings,
- If any other club can put up posters and advertise their club,
- If any other club can make announcements over the P.A. system,
Download the Equal Access Act here.
If you—student, parent, pastor, or school administrator—have any questions about the legality of student-led expression of faith on campus, the Pacific Justice Institute is ready to help. Over the past 16 years, NSP has connected many students with PJI for advice, expert opinion, and even legal action in rare cases.
The Pacific Justice Institute is a non-profit 501(c)(3) legal defense organization specializing in the defense of religious freedom, parental rights, and other civil liberties. Pacific Justice Institute works diligently, without charge, to provide its clients with all the legal support they need.
- Learn more about PJI at PacificJustice.org,
- Dive a bit deeper with one of their short booklets specific to public schools
Public Education Religious Rights: choose either California or Illinois, - Download this letter to send to your school's principal/superintendent informing them of student legal rights,
- And when ready, Request Help.