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Thanks for all your responses to my question about including our Bible
Club in the yearbook. I don't think they will be included, but it is
good to be able to give our principal both sides of the issue, and I
plan on sharing your responses with the Club members themselves, so they
see that our high school is not the only with this policy. Also, one
member commented that, if they are not a school-sponsored group, then
they shouldn't be able to meet in the library at all. I did mention
that the group meets after school, but what I didn't say was that our
library is open to the public after school, so really anyone in the
community is entitled to meet there.
Thanks again for your input!
Responses:
The only clubs included in our yearbook are school sponsored, as your
principal has said. If they aren't officially sanctioned by the school,
which they can't be, then they don't belong, in my experience and
opinion.....
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I took on our middle school yearbook last year, and we have a club
called "The Word" which I included in our yearbook. There was no
protest, nor opposition. A teacher is the sponsor, the club falls under
the "extra-curricular club" category. Good luck!
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We have a group that meets at school and they have always been included
in the yearbook. All clubs & organizations must have a faculty advisor.
One of our most active clubs is a Gospel Music club that actually sings
at churches and funerals around the area. It is not unusual to hear
them loudly practicing religious music after school. It would be unfair
if I excluded this active group just because they are religiously
affiliated. I say put them in.
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Our BASIC group (Brothers and Sisters in Christ) meets before school
once a week. Another teacher and I are "sponsors", although not legally.
The group must be student-led, and they can't announce meetings over the
intercom as a reminder. BASIC also isn't permitted to be in the
yearbook. Hmmm, I say they're not permitted, but if we came up with
thecost of the page, I wonder if that would change things - probably
not. Our administration, like yours, is afraid of "atheistic" or
whatever groups forming and wanting equal time. I know in the school law
classes administrators and others take, they are told not to allow any
types of religious groups to meet on campus, so I'm not rocking the boat
for fear we have to stop. I'm amazed what these students can
do...they're such good kids I'm proud to be associated with them. Most
of them are members of a different Protestant church than we two
teachers (sponsors), but we have many faiths represented. What a good
way to teach tolerance! However, we live in a rather small town with no
Jewish people nor Muslims; it would be nice to have their viewpoints in
our group.
*******************************************
Tish ...i think your Principal is right...sorry! Because here we have
other groups also...such as communtiy groups like basketball, etc... and
we wouldn't put them in the year book...and what happens if we let say a
Senior Citizens group meet...do they get in the year book too? It could
open up all kind of problems.
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If it's a club that's official enough to be allowed to meet on school
property during school hours, I think it's official enough to be in the
yearbook. Just my $.02 worth.
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In my former school, the Bible Club was allowed and granted the same
status as the Shakespeare club, the film club, the Chaucer Club, the
Poetry club, etc. It was justified as a work or body of literature. Of
course, all students, regardless of personal religion, had to be allowed
in, but the few skin-head atheists who tried to join soon grew bored and
stopped. The trick was for the club to decide upon an agenda for each
meeting--specific books, passages, gospels, etc. to be read in advance
and discussed for literary merit as well as for inspirational value.
Those
who did not come prepared or stick to the agenda/topic were asked to
leave by the Club Board (all students).
*********************************************
This is just personal opinion, but I would think unless it was a
school-sponsored club, receiving school funds, etc, then they should NOT
appear in the year book as a club. (But if they wanted to sponsor a
paying ad, etc, then they should be allowed to). Girl Scouts/Boy
Scouts, sports clubs, etc often use the facilities after hours, and
have students as members, but are not school-sponsored clubs.
*********************************************
I think your principal is right. If it's not a school sponsored group it
doesn't belong in the year book. Lots of groups use the school for after
school meetings. You wouldn't consider putting the AA group in your
yearbook would you? He's right. You can open a whole can of worms.
Including them in the year book would make it appear that they are
school sponsored which is against the law. The only clubs who should be
in the yearbook are the ones approved by the Board of Education to
exist. In other words, you should not even allow these kids to meet if
the club is not approved. If the Skinheads want to have a club, then
they would have to get an advisor and apply for being an official club
like any other(which they would not be approved for). You could (and
should) be sued for not including the club, if they are in fact an
official, approved club.
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