Liberty Institute: New York High School Is Repeat Offender Of Discrimination Against Students' Religious Liberty

Less than a Year after Ward Melville High School reversed its denial of a student religious club in the face of legal action, it does it again.

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Liberty Institute

Oct 06, 2014, 01:26 ET

EAST SETAUKET, N.Y., Oct. 6, 2014 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- In what has become a local flashpoint in the debate over religious observance inside of U.S. schools, officials at Ward Melville High School were put on notice today about the consequences of wrongfully denying students' request to continue the faith-based club, Students United in Faith (SUIF).

Today students at Ward Melville High School who were denied religious club put school officials on notice (PRNewsFoto/Liberty Institute)

Last year, Ward Melville High School reversed its decision to ban the faith-based club after receiving a demand letter from Liberty Institute and law firm McDermott Will & Emery outlining the illegality of its decision. However, once again this year, as SUIF came up for renewal, Ward Melville officials denied its request to be recognized as a club on campus.

To avoid further legal action, the letter states that by October 9, 2014, Ward Melville High School officials and its School Board members must reconsider their position and grant student leader John Raney's request to formally register SUIF. Follow this link to view a copy of the demand letter online: https://www.libertyinstitute.org/suif#demandletter

"This is not a complicated issue," said Hiram Sasser, Liberty Institute Litigation Director. "Simply put, public schools cannot discriminate against religious clubs and must treat them the same as other student clubs on campus." To see a list of student clubs currently allowed on campus, follow this link: https://www.libertyinstitute.org/suif#clubschedule

Todd Harrison, a partner at McDermott Will & Emery, and lead attorney for the students stated, "The decision to reject SUIF's request to continue as a club on campus is in clear and direct violation of the Equal Access Act of 1984, Supreme Court precedent, and the First Amendment of the United States Constitution. There is simply no legal basis for the School's decision in this case."

"I was shocked when I heard that the school officials denied SUIF again, but our son said he is ready to stand for religious liberty and we back him 100%," said Trudy Fischer, another parent of a student leader of SUIF.

Lincoln Johnson, one of the parents of a student member of SUIF, said, "I thought the school would easily renew SUIF after the club welcomed several students to each meeting and held successful food drives on behalf of four different food pantries last semester."

About Liberty Institute

Liberty Institute is a national nonprofit legal group dedicated to defending and restoring religious liberty across America — in our schools, for our churches, inside our military and throughout the public arena. Liberty's vision is to reestablish religious liberty in accordance with the principles of our Founding Fathers. For information, visit www.LibertyInstitute.org.

About McDermott Will & Emery

McDermott Will & Emery is a premier international law firm with a diversified business practice. Numbering more than 1,100 lawyers, we have offices in Boston, Brussels, Chicago, Düsseldorf, Frankfurt, Houston, London, Los Angeles, Miami, Milan, Munich, New York, Orange County, Paris, Rome, Seoul, Silicon Valley and Washington, D.C. Further extending our reach into Asia, we have a strategic alliance with MWE China Law Offices in Shanghai.