Rutherford Calls for See You At the Pole Respect

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. — John W. Whitehead, president of The Rutherford Institute, is calling on public school administrators to respect the right of students and faculty to gather prior to the start of the school day and participate in their local “See You at the Pole” events on Wednesday, September 27, 2006.

See You at the Pole (SYATP) is a student-initiated and student-led movement that revolves around students praying together on the third Wednesday of September, usually before school and usually at the school’s flagpole to pray for their school, friends, teachers, government and their nation. Guidelines on SYATP, as well as information about religious expression and access issues in public schools, are available here. Individuals with legal questions or in need of legal assistance relating to their right to participate in SYATP should call (434) 978-3888 or email staff@rutherford.org.

“It’s important that students, teachers and others know about their right to participate in See You at the Pole events—a right affirmed by the U.S. Supreme Court,” said John W. Whitehead, president of The Rutherford Institute. “The rallies are part of a long tradition of free and equal participation in expressive activities guaranteed by our Constitution.”

Rutherford Institute attorneys have successfully defended the free speech and religious rights of individuals to participate in See You at the Pole events in years past. For example, Institute attorneys protected the right of a Fellowship of Christian Athletes student group in Kansas to advertise the See You at the Pole event on school bulletin boards. School administrators had prohibited the group from putting up posters, citing the posters’ religious content. Institute legal staff informed an FCA representative that prohibiting the posters violated the students’ rights to free speech, free expression and free exercise of religion as guaranteed by the First and Fourteenth Amendments. School officials relented and agreed to allow the FCA students to display their posters.

In Shoreline, Wash., high school officials prohibited a student from distributing information about SYATP. After Institute legal staff informed school officials of the student’s rights, they quickly reversed their decision and allowed her to distribute the flyers.

In California, high school officials informed a youth pastor that he would not be allowed to attend SYATP at their campus unless he underwent a tuberculosis test and criminal background check. After Institute legal staff pointed out that testing and background checks are only mandatory for school employees and volunteers, school officials relented and allowed the youth pastor to attend the event.

In Texas, school officials refused to allow high school teachers to attend the SYATP rally. After being alerted to possible legal action by The Rutherford Institute, school officials opted to respect the teachers’ constitutional rights. The annual SYATP prayer gatherings began in Burleson, Tex., in 1990, when organizers first encouraged young people to meet on a common day at their school flagpole to pray for their school, friends, teachers, government and their nation. SYATP has since grown to be an international day of public student prayer, with more than three million students participating.

Nisha N. Mohammed is the communications director for the Rutherford Institute.