Centuries ago, the Salem Witch Trials showcased how unfounded assumptions and mass hysteria can lead a mob to target innocent victims, often those whom society regards as outcasts. Over 300 years later, history seems to be repeating itself, albeit with a different cast of characters. This time, it’s not the Puritans hunting for witches, but Salem’s Public School Committee rooting out Christian churches.
We received a call last week from Pastor Richard Hyatt of House of Promise Church, a nondenominational Christian congregation which meets for worship every Sunday in space they rent at Collins Middle School in Salem. Pastor Hyatt informed us that the Salem School Committee had voted that week to advance a policy that would exclude religious organizations – and only religious organizations – from renting space at Salem Public Schools ever again. The justification for such a policy? “Concerns that there may be religious organizations with values that do not align to the district’s values.” These “concerns” were clearly targeted at Christian churches, but to be more “equitable,” Salem’s attorney recommended that they ban religious organizations altogether.
Salem allows plenty of other secular organizations to rent space after school hours in its facilities, including the Boys and Girls Club, a daycare, and various afterschool programs. But under this newly proposed policy, churches need not apply. Pastor Hyatt was told that if the policy passes, his church would immediately be banned from meeting at the school. Salem’s new policy would clearly violate decades of First Amendment precedent holding that the government can’t exclude a speaker from a publicly available forum just because they don’t like their message (what courts have called “viewpoint discrimination”). The Supreme Court has even applied this rule in cases with facts remarkably similar to the situation in Salem, holding that public schools can’t ban Christian churches or clubs from renting space just because they are religious. In other words, Salem should have known better.
On Monday, we sent a legal demand letter from our Massachusetts Liberty Legal Center making clear that if this policy passes a final vote at the next School Committee meeting on June 16, we will see Salem in court. Apparently, someone needs to educate Salem about its own history – and that our Constitution doesn’t allow for anti-Christian witch hunts.
We will keep you updated as this situation progresses. Please help us to continue to stem the tide of religious discrimination in Massachusetts by supporting MFI with your prayers and donations!
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