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Notes portray school group evangelism
By BARBARA BEHRENDT © St. Petersburg Times, published February 8, 2001 INVERNESS -- The youth minister had just finished telling the story of the prodigal son when he asked those assembled to think about their lives and whether they, like the man in the story, were refugees returning to their fathers. "Stand up," he urged audience members who recognized themselves in the story. A few complied. Not yet satisfied, the minister, an adult, asked members of his youth group to help him out. A few more children arose. "See that? That's standing up," the minister responded. Then he turned to those still sitting and demanded silence. "You guys sitting down, you're not where you need to be," he said. "You need to change your mind." The minister then introduced a member of the youth group and asked him to testify to his beliefs. When the youth had finished, the minister again urged the group, "Now you . . . stand up and walk over here . . . there are some ministers here who want to help you." It was a scene straight out of a tent revival or a Sunday morning church service. But this particular episode took place in Inverness Middle School just before the start of the winter break. The event, a Fellowship of Christian Athletes Christmas party, created an uproar, raising concerns ranging from the rights of student groups to meet during school time to the broader issue of separation of church and state. The FCA gathering was videotaped by students, but the School Board's attorney has rejected a request by the Citrus Times to view the tape, saying the tape is not a public record. On Wednesday, School Board member Carol Snyder released a transcript of the videotape to the Times as well as notes she took as she viewed a tape with Superintendent David Hickey two weeks ago. Richard "Spike" Fitzpatrick, the board's attorney, said that if there were no details in the transcript identifying students, the board member releasing details of the tape was not violating privacy laws. No one on the tape, including the youth minister, was identified in the transcript. In a written explanation, Snyder said she released the transcript because people have reported various things about the event and she wanted to help clarify matters. Since Snyder first raised concerns about the party on the day it took place, she has contended that it should not have occurred during school time when students not at the party were in class. Snyder was not at the FCA event, but she said that after viewing the tape, she was even more convinced that her initial concerns were well-founded. "I believe the youth minister's presentation included coercion, however subtle it may have been, and was out of line in a public school during class time," she said. Fitzpatrick also has said that what happens in student-initiated meetings at school cannot be censored by the district once those clubs are allowed to meet at schools. The only exceptions would be if students wanted to form a club that would be disruptive or violate laws, such as a club on how to build bombs, shoot guns or otherwise break school rules. Snyder said the content of this particular event is troublesome on several levels. "The content matters because, No. 1, I do not believe that children understood what the party was going to be about," Snyder said. "Plus, it was advertised as a Christian party and if all the students who were there were already Christian, then why would they have to do this kind of activity?" Snyder noted that federal guidelines and district policies require that such clubs be organized and run by students. That is not what Snyder saw on the tape. "What bothers me the most about the meeting is that it is not student-led. It is being led by someone not associated with the school," she said. Snyder is pushing for the board to establish a policy that would require such club meetings to take place before or after school or during previously arranged club gathering times. That way, no students would have to choose between a club activity or class. Those not in club meetings would instead attend a monitored free-time block. An official with the Anti-Defamation League said that the FCA meeting set up a scenario in which the school was officially sponsoring a religious activity, which is not legally permissible. The organization has announced that it plans to talk to Citrus school officials to be sure that the situation doesn't happen again. Fitzpatrick and Hickey met recently with the district's middle and high school principals to talk about how such meetings should be held. Prearranging club meeting times also came up in that meeting as did a discussion about making sure the same outside adults weren't always attending the same club meetings unless they had some particular reason to be there each time. The topic may come up at Tuesday's regular meeting. The board is expected to hear more from the public on this issue at a workshop at 5:30 p.m. Feb. 27 at Lecanto High School.
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