After receiving a letter from the Freedom From Religion Foundation students, parents, teachers and administrators at Prosper High School in Texas reacted with outrage both in their community as well as on the internet. The letter advised the school their ongoing and multiple endorsements of Christianity violate the law as well as disenfranchise non-Christians attending the taxpayer-funded public school.

At the center of the controversy lies Principal Greg Wright who not only allowed teachers to adorn classrooms with religious iconography but also personally participated in a “See You At The Pole” (SYATP) prayer gathering on school grounds before classes began.

Following the letter and media publicity Christians around the school and town began harassing and berating those who complained including Janie Oyakawa, mother to a student at the school.

Speaking about a ‘prayer’ rally held just off school grounds today attended by over 100 parents and students, Oyakawa said, “It’s just a way to say you’re the out group. You don’t belong here. And it’s mean.” She added, “If my children were in the majority group, the majority group in anything, I’d never let them treat people in that way.”

Though Christians in the community view the letter and complaints as an attack on their personal religious beliefs, Oyakawa pointed out that non-Christians attend the school as well and having school officials endorse the majority’s Christian beliefs harms non-Christian students.

“It puts pressure on students who are being graded by those people, need recommendation letters from those people or simply just crave the respect of those people,” she said.

Recalling another prayer rally a few days earlier she described the vitriol and harassment Christians in the community and school district heaved upon her and her family for speaking out against the illegal insertion of Christianity into public education.

After describing the harassment both she and her son endured in and out of the school for being non-Christian and wanting equal treatment Oyakawa pointed out others feel similarly about the Christian indoctrination at the school district. “They’re right to be afraid,” she said. “It has been pure backlash to me.”

Due to the ongoing harassment and controversy Oyakawa did not attend the rally today.

According to the local NBC affiliate, Kailee Waltera – a freshman student who attended the rally – said, “I think that people realize it’s important to pray. It’s different when you’re alone and when you’re together with people. That feeling of unity can build you up.”

Oyakawa disagreed. “It’s made us feel blatantly unwelcome in our community,” she said. “We’re proud, contributing members to Prosper. I was friends with these people who have now vilified me.”

Her son Ben agreed with his mother’s sentiment. “I’ve gotten angry glares down the hallway, I’ve heard people whisper about me,” he said. “It’s been unnerving the whole time. It makes me feel like I’m not part of this community.”

The ongoing hate and harassment directed at the Oyakawa family serves as a prime example of why school officials are forbidden from endorsing religion through their role as an educator or official. Any time a person acts on behalf of a school (in or outside of school hours) that person additionally acts as an extension of the taxpayer-funded government. Just as Christianity cannot be established as an official religion because of the First Amendment, it cannot be endorsed above other belief systems (or lack thereof) in public schools.

This latest example shows how far the nation still has to go in the wake of the 1995 Doe vs. Duncanville Independent School District decision handed down two decades ago. Similar to the current situation in Texas the student at the center of the 1995 case felt the brunt of community and school harassment for her non-Christian beliefs and fear of retribution for speaking out publicly about the discrimination endured at the hands of Christians using taxpayer-funded property, resources and time to further their religious beliefs.

Just as Jane Doe should not have been forced to sue her school district for equal treatment, the Oyakawa family should not be at the center of an anti-Christian witch hunt for expressing concerns over religious endorsement at their school. Alas, Christians in the Prosper community appear to view religious proselytizing in taxpayer-funded institutions as a right rather than abuse of the law shielded by religious majority privilege.

[THIS STORY HAS AN UPDATE – CLICK THROUGH TO READ]

Previously:

Peacock Panache readers:

Tim Peacock is the Managing Editor and founder of Peacock Panache and has worked as a civil rights advocate for over twenty years. During that time he’s worn several hats including leading on campus LGBTQ advocacy in the University of Missouri campus system, interning with the Colorado Civil Rights Division, and volunteering at advocacy organizations. You can learn more about him at his personal website.

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