Schools
Wantagh Schools: Christian Club Still Under Careful Consideration
Superintendent says Dare to Believe club has not been denied, is being reviewed by BOE and legal counsel.
School officials said Tuesday that they have not yet made a decision on whether or not to approve a Christian club at Wantagh High School.
Superintendent Maureen Goldberg said in a statement that the district was putting the proposal for a club called Dare to Believe through the same process as any other at Wantagh High School.
“The district has not denied access to form a student Christian Club called Dare to Believe,” Goldberg said, adding the club is is “currently reviewing this request with the Board of Education and legal counsel.”
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As part of the standard process, Goldberg said current club members “have been permitted to gather and the club has met on several occasions throughout the school year to engage in their club activities.”
Liz Loverde, 15, said she approached her principal with the idea to form the Dare to Believe club but was shot down because it was illegal, Newsday reported.
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The club would combine Bible study with various acts of community service, including volunteer work, fundraisers, and toy drives, according to the report.
Wantagh has not yet made a decision on the club to date, according to Goldberg.
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Meanwhile, officials from the Texas-based Liberty Institute have stepped in to advocate for Loverde and are threatening legal action, according to Newsday.
“School officials on Long Island do not seem to understand that the Equal Access Act of 1984 makes it illegal to deny students -- and especially a minority of students -- the right to form a Christian club on campus,” said Jeremy Dys, an attorney with Liberty Institute, according to the report.
In 2013, Ward Melville High School reversed a decision to deny a student to form a similar Christian club after they were told it violated federal law.
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