Students in Massachusetts do not leave their First Amendment rights behind when they walk through the schoolhouse doors. Here at MFI, we routinely field questions from students and their parents about how they can live out their faith and share it with classmates while attending public school. What many people, including teachers and school administrators, often don’t seem to realize is that our laws have very strong protections for the rights of students to pray, study God’s word and talk to their fellow students about faith. Please explore the resources below and don’t hesitate to contact MFI if you have questions.
Our friends at Alliance Defending Freedom, a national Christian legal ministry, have put together a fantastic resource for students and parents on how to address challenges to religious freedom and free speech in public schools. Please click HERE or on the handbook image to download this guide.
Here in Massachusetts, the rights of religious student clubs in public schools are protected by both state and federal law. For example, when a public school treats a religious or faith-based student club differently than other clubs (for example, in the approval process, the use of classrooms or posters, or whether the supervising teacher receives a stipend), the school engages in unlawful religious discrimination. Click HERE or on the memo image to download this MA specific information.
Rosa, a high school student from Lynn, MA, tells her story of how her school tried to discriminate against her Bible discussion club. Public schools are prohibited from discriminating against students based on the basis of their religion. Unfortunately, many students are routinely told, falsely, that they cannot exercise their Freedom of Religion in schools, or that their Bible-themed clubs can be restricted because it is “religious.” MA Family Institute was honored to help Rosa at her school.
