According to the Freedom From Religion Foundation, representatives from The Warehouse Church and school officials have started Bible clubs at Kanawha Elementary and Blennerhassett Elementary in West Virginia, “recruiting students at lunch.”
Church representatives may try to assert that these elementary clubs are “student-led.” Yet, families within the school system report that isn’t correct. FFRF is also unaware of any case where a court has found that elementary school students have permissibly led a religious club during the school day. Additionally, it appears that Generation NXT clubs even within Wood County Schools middle schools are unconstitutional. Any school religious groups must be bona fide student clubs that are both student-initiated and student-run. Outside adults cannot regularly attend these meetings and teachers cannot participate in religious activities with students, unlike what’s happening in these middle schools.
FFRF strongly urges that Wood County Schools immediately discontinue all Generation NXT religious group gatherings within its elementary schools and disband all teacher-led clubs.
