Ala. public school offers churches opportunity to preach to students.

PUBLIC schools; CHURCH schools; STUDENTS; GRANOLA bars; SPORTS drinks

Officials at a public school in Alabama have offered local churches the opportunity to deliver a 15-minute "devotional" to student athletes in exchange for donations of water and snacks. The request was made by Etowah County Schools, who asked churches to donate water and granola bars for the wrestling team. The offer was not extended to non-Christian or secular groups. The Freedom From Religion Foundation (FFRF) has called on the school to drop the program, stating that it shows favoritism towards religion. State Senator Greg Reed criticized the FFRF, while the organization's co-president, Annie Laurie Gaylor, emphasized the importance of constitutional principles in keeping religion separate from government and schools. As of early January, the FFRF had not received a response from the school officials. [Extracted from the article]

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