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Christian Outreach at Public Schools: Yes, it's legal!
We coach high school students at public high schools to share their faith in Jesus Christ with their friends and peers, on campus and during the school day. Believe it or not, everything we coach students to do is perfectly legal, clearly protected by two pieces of US law: The First Amendment and the Equal Access Act. Thanks to these laws, it's legal for Christian students to share about Jesus, and even lead gospel-centered events, on their public school campuses.
“Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.” —The US Bill of Rights
The 1st Amendment of the Constitution protects most of the major freedoms that you need in order to reach your school, specifically in two major ways.
Students have freedom of religion. People frequently misinterpret this to mean that government and religion should always be separated, but this is not true. Rather, the 1st Amendment simply says that government cannot interfere with religious practice.
Students have freedom of speech. That means that students can openly speak on their beliefs about God. This freedom extends to communicating through written form as well. Students can personally witness on campus, they can give away Christian materials - such as bibles, tracts, and even flyers that promote Christian events, and students can even wear clothing with Christian messages.
“It shall be unlawful for any public secondary school which receives Federal financial assistance and which has a limited open forum to deny equal access or a fair opportunity to, or discriminate against, any students who wish to conduct a meeting within that limited open forum on the basis of the religious, political, philosophical, or other content of the speech at such meetings.” —US Department of Justice
The Equal Access Act ensures that Christian clubs are given the same privileges on campus that every other club receives. This means that...
- If any club can meet on campus as a club,
- If any other club can reserve rooms/locations on campus,
- If any other club can invite guests to attend their meetings,
- If any other club can put up posters and advertise their club,
- If any other club can make announcements over the P.A. system,
Download the Equal Access Act here.
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If you—student, parent, pastor, or school administrator—have any questions about the legality of student-led expression of faith on campus, the Pacific Justice Institute is ready to help. Over the past 16 years, NSP has connected many students with PJI for advice, expert opinion, and even legal action in rare cases.
The Pacific Justice Institute is a non-profit 501(c)(3) legal defense organization specializing in the defense of religious freedom, parental rights, and other civil liberties. Pacific Justice Institute works diligently, without charge, to provide its clients with all the legal support they need.
- Learn more about PJI at PacificJustice.org,
- Dive a bit deeper with one of their short booklets specific to public schools
Public Education Religious Rights: choose either California or Illinois, - Download this letter to send to your school's principal/superintendent informing them of student legal rights,
- And when ready, Request Help.
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Warren Willis
“3.3 million students are graduating from high school every single year, many of them without ever hearing the gospel. The mission field of our local public schools is a frontier we cannot afford to ignore. That's why we are eager to partner with the local church, Christian educators and parents to do whatever we can to equip Christian students across the nation to share the gospel with their peers and classmates while it’s still legal.”
Brad Dacus
"We at Pacific Justice Institute count it a privilege to our long history of partnership with the National School Project. They are wisely using their rights under the law to share the good news of Jesus Christ to thousands of students in public schools that otherwise would never hear the Gospel. We look forward to serving and supporting this ministry in the many days ahead."
David Schmus
"We love National School Project! We represent thousands of Christian educators who want to see the gospel proclaimed at their public schools but who are concerned about legal challenges. NSP meets them in this place of deep need by equipping effective leaders to advance the gospel, while ensuring their Christian clubs are truly student-led. What a blessing!"