School Administrators Accept Faith-Based Student Club—Only Hours After Receiving Liberty Institute Demand Letter
SETAUKET, N.Y., Dec. 19, 2013 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Yesterday, attorneys with Liberty Institute and McDermott Will & Emory LLP secured the rights of students at Ward Melville High School to form a Christian Club. Less than ten hours after receiving a demand letter sent by Liberty Institute volunteer attorneys Todd Harrison and Audrey Lu from McDermott Will & Emory LLP, administrators at Ward Melville High School have agreed to fully recognize a faith-based student club. Principal of Ward Melville High School, Dr. Alan Baum, personally called to notify the students and apologize for the school's actions.
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"Today, Ward Melville High School did the right thing by affirming that students of faith in American public schools have the same freedom to form a club as any other student," said Liberty Institute attorney Jeremy Dys. "We are pleased that our clients will begin their student club immediately after returning from Christmas break."
Liberty Institute's client applied to form a Christian club at Ward Melville High School, but school administrators simply ignored his application for over two months. Only when the student's mother asked the principal what happened to her son's application did the student learn why his club had been denied: religious clubs, according to school administrators, are illegal in New York public schools.
After the first of the year, Students United in Faith will join over 40 other student clubs at Ward Melville High School.
Liberty Institute is a national nonprofit legal group dedicated to defending and restoring religious liberty across America — in our schools, for our churches, in the military and throughout the public arena. Liberty's vision is to reestablish religious liberty in accordance with the principles of our nation's Founders. For information, visit www.LibertyInstitute.org.
SOURCE Liberty Institute
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