A Mansfield family is claiming their son’s high school class was sent to a religious assembly without the option to opt out. They feel that religion was imposed on him in a public school. NBC 5’s Keenan Willard has more.
A Mansfield family claims their son’s high school class was sent to a religious assembly during the school day.
It happened on campus Monday at Lake Ridge High School in the Mansfield Independent School District. The family said their son wasn’t given the choice to opt out of the service, and they feel religion was imposed on him in a public school.
During a normal school day, Jon Luna’s son, a Lake Ridge High School freshman student, has an advisory study hall period.
“This class allows him to get his work done,” said Luna. “But today, what they did is he received an email on his Chromebook stating to report to this auditorium.”
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Luna said the email came from the advisory class teacher, a Lake Ridge High School math teacher who also coaches soccer and football.
The message said, “Go to the theater for advisory.”
“And it was mandatory, and all of his class went in with this other group of kids,” said Luna. “And the only thing he knew, a man came up on stage and said, please take out your Bibles, and if not, look it up on the internet.”
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The assembly was a meeting of the religious organization Fellowship of Christian Athletes.
Luna’s son recorded the assembly leader calling on students to accept Jesus Christ as their savior and leading the auditorium in prayer.
“Jesus, thank you for dying for me. I believe I am a sinner who needed a savior. Come into my life, make me new again,” the leader of the assembly can be heard directing the students to pray during the service.
Luna told NBC 5 that his son had never been introduced to religion in their family, and his son’s class shouldn’t have been told to attend the Christian service during the school day.
“I didn’t understand why he’s being told to do something that he has not subscribed to,” said Luna. “And it’s fine if they do that, but I don’t know why he’s being forced to do something that’s religious when they don’t know his religion, they don’t know what he believes.”
“But yet they’re forcing him to sit in on it,” he continued.
NBC 5 reached out to Mansfield ISD for a response to the family’s concerns.
“Participation in FCA is a voluntary activity for Lake Ridge students who choose to attend,” a Mansfield ISD spokesperson said in response. “The opportunity to attend FCA during advisory is a recent scheduling change at the campus.”
“Going forward, the teacher will ensure that students understand their attendance at such a meeting is entirely optional, and alternatives will be made clear,” the statement continued.
Luna said the Lake Ridge High School principal called to apologize and hoped this would serve as a learning experience for how the school should handle religious events.
“I don’t want my kid to be uncomfortable. No child should go to school and be told to do something that is completely against their foundation, whether it be their religion or their culture,” Luna said. “You should be able to be who you are.”
