Hannah Sparling

hsparling@newarkadvocate.com

HANOVER The Freedom From Religion Foundation leveled a fourth complaint against Licking Valley Local Schools — charging the district is violating the constitution via a football-team chaplain.

The chaplain is allowed to "evangelize every Thursday after practice, and every Friday before games," and he stays with the team during games as a water boy, according to a letter the foundation sent Nov. 26 to Valley superintendent Dave Hile.

"The appointment of team chaplains, formal or de facto, for a public high school athletic team violates the Constitution," the letter states.

"FFRF is deeply troubled that in the last few months we have heard from several different residents about religion in the District schools. ... The football program appears to have a culture of religion, particularly Christianity, that is not only inappropriate, but also unconstitutional in public school. The entire program must be evaluated to ensure every aspect complies with constitutional dictates."

The foundation names the chaplain as Licking Valley Church of Christ youth minister Jeff Hawkins, with the team since 1996. A representative at the church said Hawkins was unavailable Tuesday afternoon. He did not immediately respond to a message seeking comment.

Hile said he is unsure if the football team has a chaplain, and he won't know until he meets with coach Randy Baughman later this week or early next.

If it turns out there is a chaplain, that will have to stop, Hile said.

"That's not something we are permitted to do," he said. "... Right now, it's all speculation, because I don't know what in the letter is true and what's not."

The foundation is a Wisconsin-based nonprofit, dedicated to promoting nontheism and the separation of church and government. Its first letter to Licking Valley was Sept. 23, referencing marching band T-shirts bearing the word "Salvation." The shirts were a reference to Pavel Tchesnokov's "Salvation is Created," which was the band's focal piece this past season.

The second letter, Sept. 30, alleged coach Baughman might have participated in a student-led prayer.

The third, Oct. 31, was in reference to an elementary school assembly hosted by the Jubilee Gang. Jubilee Gang is a Christian group, but school officials said the assembly was about "character education," based on goal-setting, leadership and making good choices.

Rebecca Markert, the attorney who drafted all four letters, said it is unusual to get four complaints about a single district in such a short time frame. Markert said the Valley complaints have come from at least three different individuals, and the foundation has also gotten supportive letters from several others.

Each of the letters requests a formal, written response, but so far, there has been none.

"For the school district not to respond is, quite frankly, ridiculous," Markert said. "There's some serious liability issues at stake here. And if we can resolve this short of going to court, that would be better."

Hile confirmed he has not responded to the foundation's letters and does not plan to. His job is to investigate any complaints and — if there is a problem — fix it, he said.

His main problem with the situation is none of the complainants came to him first, he said.

"It would be courteous of that individual or that group of individuals to have this conversation with me before they jump to a group that's out of Wisconsin," he said.

hsparling@newarkadvocate.com

740-328-8822

Twitter: @hksparling