Religious Freedom Day

NOTICE TO THE COMMUNITY This year, Religious Freedom Day shall be held on Thursday, January 16, 2025, in conformity with School Board Policy 9700. On that day, a limited public forum shall be created in our high schools for the purpose of distributing materials celebrating the freedom and diversity of religious thought or belief or lack thereof. Tables will be set up in the cafeteria area of the particular high school for the placement and passive distribution of materials related to religious thought or belief or lack of religious thought or belief. Students may take the materials placed on or near the tables if they so choose. This limited public forum shall be open from 11:30 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. Interested persons or organizations shall notify the Principal of the particular high school in writing no later than 5:00 p.m. on Thursday, January 9, 2025, of their intent to have a table set up along with a copy of the materials intended to be placed on the tables for distribution. If any of the materials sought for distribution fall within the categories set forth in paragraph (C)(7) of Policy 9700, the Principal, upon review and consultation with the District's General Counsel, may prevent their distribution. All persons or organizations participating in Religious Freedom Day shall have from 10:45 a.m. – 11:15 a.m. on Thursday, January 16, 2025, to set up their respective tables as well as have a box of such materials placed under or beside the table for availability for replenishment in the event students should take all of the materials set out on a particular table. Such persons or organization representatives shall not be present at the tables between 11:30 a.m. and 1:00 p.m., nor may they interact with students while on site at the particular high school. However, at 12:15 p.m., all such persons or organization representatives shall be permitted to go to their particular table to see if the materials need to be replenished. They shall be escorted there by District staff at that time. Once replenishment is concluded, the persons and/or representative shall leave the table area and return to the designated reserved site until 1:15 p.m. Such person or representative shall not talk or otherwise interact with students during the replenishment period. Such persons shall be permitted to return to the site of the tables at 1:15 p.m. to remove any materials of theirs not picked up by students. In opening a limited public forum for Religious Freedom Day, the School District and its Board neither endorse nor disapprove of any of the participating persons or organizations' beliefs or viewpoints. The opening of the limited public forum is purely for educational purpose and intended to be of an educational nature. This statement of non-endorsement and non-disapproval of participant beliefs or viewpoints and the educational purpose of the forum shall also be noted and displayed in the front of each participant's table.