Texas principal backs off religious talk after atheist complaints

The American Bible Society investigated which U.S. cities are the most "Bible-minded," with a Texas city not appearing until No. 26.



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less The American Bible Society investigated which U.S. cities are the most "Bible-minded," with a Texas city not appearing until No. 26.



See which Texas cities were made the list and which U.S. cities are ... more Photo: For The San Antonio Express-News Photo: For The San Antonio Express-News Image 1 of / 207 Caption Close Texas principal backs off religious talk after atheist complaints 1 / 207 Back to Gallery

Complaints from an atheist group pushed a North Texas high school principal to abandon leadership in a campus religious organization.

Wisconsin-based Freedom from Religion Foundation alleged the practice violated Constitutional principles of separation of church and state when a public official encouraged students to pursue religious convictions while serving in his official capacity. In a press release, it said a principal had been "encouraging students to be proactive and make their daily walk with Christ a priority."

RELATED: Public school Bible readings spark controversy

Controversy erupted in September when parents observed Prosper High School principal Greg Wright speak to students about how his Christian faith inspires him and what prayer means in his daily life, reported KXAS in Dallas. A parent complainant, Janie Oyakawa, said the principal's participation would alienate non-Christian students.

She filed a complaint to the FFRF—an organization that had made Texas headlines before for challenging religious expressions in public institutions. In 2015, it filed complaints against an East Texas school districts for daily Bible readings with morning announcements, and later against a North Texas police department for printing "In God We Trust" on fleet vehicles.

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In a September 28 letter to Prosper ISD, the FFRF wrote, "School staffers cannot lead, encourage, or participate in student-led religious activities. And any religious event or religious clubs at a PISD school must be genuinely student led."

According to a Monday report from Christian Today, Prosper ISD attorney Charles Crawford said principal wright will not speak "in his capacity as a district employee at future on-campus, student-led See You at the Pole events," referring to the morning prayer events at the school flag pole.

He also said that Wright is not forming a religious club, but that the club was formed by students.