End of School Year Victory

Two high school students in the Desert Sands Unified School District, CA sought the ACLJs assistance in obtaining equal access for their religious club, the Fellowship of Christian Athletes (FCA).  The students inquired as to their constitutional and statutory rights as they had received partial but not full access to all the privileges available to non-curricular clubs, solely because of the religious nature of their club.  Because the FCA has a right to receive equal access under the Equal Access Act as well as under the First Amendment, we sent a letter on the students behalf demanding equal access.

At this time, we have come to a favorable resolution with regard to the high schools official recognition of the FCA on the schools website.  Although the School District is currently still evaluating other concerns we raised in our letter, the District has assured us that it is committed to accommodating student religious expression in conformity with the constitutional principles of the First Amendment.  Moreover, the District has given its assurances that it will take steps to include the FCA in the list of officially recognized student groups on the schools website.  We are pleased that the District has recognized its obligations under the Equal Access Act and the constitutional principles required by the First Amendment.