FFRF stops Minn. school bus driver from distributing religious messages to students

The Freedom From Religion Foundation has ensured that contracted bus drivers in Minnesota’s Milaca Public Schools system will no longer hand out to students religious messages attached to candy canes.

A concerned parent of a Milaca Elementary School student reported that on Dec. 22, 2025, their child’s school bus driver gave students “WWJD” (What Would Jesus Do) bracelets and a piece of paper with a candy cane tied to it. The paper had a religious message, with the candy cane making the letter “J”:
Jesus is my Savior who gave his life for me. Because of Him each of us can ever more be free. Jesus is the greatest gift the world has ever seen. So I’ll talk of Him at Christmas time, and all the days in between.

The parent expressed their frustration to FFRF about school bus drivers passing out religious messages and bracelets to students, because they are not raising their children to believe in religion. The parent was upset that “their kids might be treated poorly because they do not have the same religious beliefs as others.” 

FFRF was ready to fight on behalf of the nonreligious family to keep divisive religion out of our public school system. 

“In this case, the district violated parents’ trust by allowing a school bus driver to distribute religious messages and bracelets to students while acting in their official role as a school employee,” FFRF Staff Attorney Sammi Lawrence wrote to Superintendent Dave Wedin. “This not only violates students’ First Amendment rights, it violates parents’ constitutional rights to direct their children’s religious or nonreligious upbringing.” 

The distribution of “WWJD” bracelets and a message saying “Jesus is my savior” gave the impression that the district favored religion over nonreligion and Christianity over all other faiths. Furthermore, religious distributions in school settings, including on the school bus, coercively encourage students to take, read and reflect upon the religious message. Students (such as the child of the parent who approached FFRF) who see other students taking the religious items at the encouragement of an authority figure will no doubt feel pressured to take the items to conform. This needlessly marginalizes students who do not believe in Christianity, including members of minority faiths and those who are nonreligious. As much as 38 percent of the American population is non-Christian, including the 29 percent of Minnesotans who are religiously unaffiliated and another 7 percent who belong to non-Christian faiths. Additionally, more than half of Generation Z (those born after 1996) is non-Christian, including 43 percent who are nonreligious. 

Due to FFRF’s intervention, the district has thankfully worked to correct the issue.

An email from Superintendent Wedin reported that the district had conducted an internal investigation to prevent further incidents.

“By working [with the contracted bus company], we were able to identify the individual involved,” Wedin wrote. “The company has addressed the matter appropriately with the driver to prevent any future occurrences.” Wedin also reported a proactive effort of speaking with other contracted transportation providers to reiterate the district’s secular expectations.

FFRF is pleased to resolve another state/church violation, making certain that public school students of all religions and no religions feel equally welcome.

“FFRF knows that students’ rights must be protected year-round; children cannot have religion forced onto them just because of a particular annual observance,” says FFRF Co-President Annie Laurie Gaylor. “Religion in public schools creates walls between children and emphasizes differences. Religious indoctrination is a matter that must be left to personal conscience and parental guidance.” 

The Freedom From Religion Foundation is a national nonprofit organization with over 41,000 members and several chapters across the country, including more than 800 members and two chapters in Minnesota. Our purposes are to protect the constitutional principle of separation between state and church, and to educate the public on matters relating to nontheism.

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FFRF slams Texas Lt. Gov. Patrick’s ‘religious liberty’ committee 

Texas Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick’s newly created Senate Select Committee on Religious Liberty is a thinly veiled effort to advance a Christian nationalist agenda.

Patrick announced the formation of the committee on March 23, claiming that it will “educate Texans” about their so-called “God-given religious liberty rights” and ensure those rights are not infringed. All committee members except one are Republican and all appear to be affiliated with conservative Christianity.

“Just like President Trump’s so-called Religious Liberty Commission, which Patrick chairs, this committee isn’t about protecting religious liberty — it’s about undermining true religious freedom,” says FFRF Co-President Annie Laurie Gaylor. “Religious freedom under our secular Constitution means the right not just to believe, but to disbelieve. It does not mean the right to impose your religion on others or to claim exemptions from laws that protect public health and civil rights because of your religion.”

The committee’s mandate raises concerns about its purpose. With a leadership structure closely aligned with Patrick’s political priorities, the body appears designed to promote a predetermined ideological outcome rather than conduct a balanced or meaningful review.

FFRF warns that Patrick’s framing of religious liberty as “God-given”  reveals that he appears to be unaware that the Constitution itself is godless and its only references to religion are exclusionary, such as barring any religious test for public office. Sovereignty is invested not in a deity but in “We the People,” and our democracy runs by consent of the governed — not whatever deity Patrick subscribes to.

FFRF notes that similar efforts across the country have been used to justify discrimination against LGBTQ+ individuals, undermine reproductive rights and erode the all-American principle of separation between church and state.

FFRF emphasizes that Texas is home to a religiously diverse population, including millions of residents who are atheist, agnostic or religiously unaffiliated, as well as adherents of minority faiths. Any government project that elevates one religious perspective over others marginalizes large segments of the population.

“There can be no religious freedom without the freedom to dissent,” adds Gaylor. “When religion enters government, watch out!”

The Freedom From Religion Foundation will monitor the committee’s actions and oppose any efforts that threaten the constitutional rights of Texans.

The Freedom From Religion Foundation is a national nonprofit organization with over 41,000 members and several chapters nationwide, including 1,800 members and a chapter in Texas. FFRF’s purposes are to defend the constitutional principle of separation between church and state, and to educate the public on matters relating to nontheism.

Read this press release online.

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FFRF successfully halted the teaching of creationism at a Colorado public charter school. (April 2026)

Colorado —

FFRF successfully halted the teaching of creationism in the science curriculum at a Colorado public charter school.

FFRF wrote to the CEO of James Irwin Charter Schools after a concerned parent reported that James Irwin Charter Middle School in Colorado Springs was planning to include “intelligent design” and “creationist theory” alongside evolution in its eighth-grade science curriculum. According to an email sent to parents by the school’s science lead, the evolution unit proposed to “teach Intelligent Design and evolution” and “present a creationist theory and an evolutionist theory regarding natural selection, adaptation and evolution.”

FFRF Staff Attorney Sammi Lawrence wrote to the district explaining that teaching creationism or intelligent design in public school science classes violates the Establishment Clause of the First Amendment.

“Promoting creationism, intelligent design or any of its offshoots in public schools is unlawful because creationism is based solely on religion, not scientific fact,” her letter stated. FFRF noted that the Supreme Court and federal courts have consistently rejected attempts to introduce religious doctrine into public school science classes, including the landmark ruling in Edwards v. Aguillard (1987) and the federal decision in Kitzmiller v. Dover Area School District (2005), which struck down policies promoting creationism and intelligent design.

FFRF’s intervention had the desired result. Following its letter, the school system investigated the matter and scrapped the pseudoscience portion of the curriculum.

“Please know that this practice has ceased,” CEO Rob Daugherty wrote in a response to FFRF. “Intelligent design will not be taught in the middle school or in any other James Irwin Charter School as part of a science curriculum.”

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FFRF taught school district that student clubs must be student led and employees cannot promote or participate. (April 2026)

Iowa —

FFRF taught the Fort Dodge Community School District in Iowa that student religious clubs must be student led, and school employees cannot promote or participate in these clubs.

A community member reported that adult staff members at Fort Dodge Middle School (FDMS) were overtly and inappropriately involved in organizing, leading, advertising and encouraging participation in the school’s Fellowship of Christian Athletes (FCA) club. FFRF learned that during the workday, staff members at FDMS were promoting the FCA club to students and encouraging them to join. FCA is an explicitly religious organization based in evangelical Christianity and the Iowa FCA has direct statements of its Christian faith on its website homepage. Additionally, a multitude of Facebook posts were discovered that show the district having a long pattern and practice of routinely permitting staff and outside adults to organize, lead, promote and sponsor the middle school’s FCA club in violation of federal law and the school board’s own policy.

“Even if the club is properly renting school space for its meetings, the school cannot advertise an outside-run religious club, grant outside adults special access to students, recruit students to join the club, or promote the club’s religious message,” FFRF Staff Attorney Sammi Lawrence wrote to the district.

FFRF’s letter led to the district reaching out to legal counsel for advice as to how to resolve the matter. Superintendent Joshua Porter wrote in an email, “You can assure [the community member] that we have worked with our legal counsel on this matter and will follow their recommendations.”

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A nonreligious student felt excluded after not receiving a bible during a bible distribution. (April 2026)

North Carolina —

FFRF stood up for a nonreligious student in the Montgomery County Schools system in North Carolina after a bible distribution left them feeling excluded, resulting in the district being advised not to allow similar events to take place in the future.

A local parent reported that last December, Star Elementary School allowed an outside adult to distribute bibles to students on school property during the school day. Reportedly, the adult was allowed to approach students to distribute bibles. When the parent wrote to FFRF regarding the distribution, they expressed their discomfort by the event, saying, “it forced my child into an environment where they felt like an ‘outsider’ for not participating in religious-leaning instruction.”

“When a public school allows the distribution of bibles to students on school property during the school day, it entangles itself with religion, and specifically Christianity,” FFRF Patrick O’Reilley Legal Fellow Charlotte R. Gude wrote. “Distributing bibles needlessly marginalizes students, such as our complainant’s child, who are nonreligious, as well as those who belong to minority faiths.”

After receiving FFRF’s letter, the district contacted legal representative Patricia Robinson to ensure full compliance with the Constitution. Robinson confirmed that the district investigated the situation, stating that, while the bibles were available for students to pick up and were indicated not to be district affiliated, the event “was not consistent with board policy regarding the distribution of non-school materials.” Robinson additionally provided legal training to school administrators regarding the First Amendment and compliance with board policy regarding distribution of non-school materials.

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A public school system in Oklahoma stopped a high school football coach from leading students in prayer before games. (April 2026)

Oklahoma —

Thanks to information provided by a local member, FFRF’s work saw the San Springs Public Schools system in Oklahoma stop a high school football coach from leading students in prayer before games.

After receiving a report from member William Dusenberry, FFRF learned that the head football coach at Charles Page High school had reportedly led student-athletes in the Lord’s Prayer before a game in December 2025. In order to protect student rights, FFRF Staff Attorney Sammi Lawrence wrote to the district, calling for an investigation to put a stop to coaching staff  pushing prayer on students.

“When coaches lead students in prayer and direct or encourage them to pray, the student-athletes will no doubt feel that participating in that prayer is essential to pleasing their coach and being viewed as a team player,” Lawrence wrote.

The district rightfully looked into the situation, and FFRF learned from the district’s legal representative, John E. Priddy, that action had been taken. “The administration and I have spoken about ensuring that this does not happen in the future and the administration is committed to ensuring the law is followed.”

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A school district made sure that a superintendent wouldn’t continue the practice of emailing students overtly religious content. (April 2026)

Pennsylvania —

The Muhlenberg School District in Reading, Pa., made sure that the superintendent wouldn’t continue the practice of emailing students overtly religious content.

A student informed FFRF that on April 18, 2025, the district superintendent sent a schoolwide email to all Muhlenberg High School students and staff that explicitly promoted Christian beliefs, including a statement about how students need to “remember that Jesus gave His life out of love for all humanity.” The email signature additionally promotes faith. The student explained that this was not the first time the superintendent has promoted Christianity in a school setting, and they felt unheard and unseen due to the superintendent’s actions.

“Public school staff, including superintendents, may not promote religion to students,” FFRF Staff Attorney Madeline Ziegler wrote to the school board.

The school board reached out to its legal representative Brian F. Boland. “The matter you brought to the school district’s attention in July has been investigated and addressed,” Boland confirmed. “We welcome you to advise us if any such issues should come to your attention in the future.”

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A Police Department in Tennessee removed a bible quote after FFRF explained how it isolated non-Christian members of the community. (April 2026)

Tennessee —

The Mount Juliet Police Department in Tennessee removed a bible quote after FFRF explained how it isolated non-Christian members of the community.

A concerned resident informed FFRF that the Mount Juliet Police Department’s roll call room in its headquarters had a bible verse displayed prominently on the front wall. It read, “Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying. ‘Whom shall I send, and who will go for us?’ And I said, ‘Here am I; send me!’ – Isaiah 6:8.” The resident who reported the quote stated that seeing the bible verse made them feel that “the police are working on behalf of one religious group rather than all.”

“Minority religious and nonreligious citizens should not be made to feel like outsiders in their own community because the MJPD promotes a particular religious group’s beliefs, implying official support for Christianity,” FFRF Legal Fellow Charlotte R. Gude wrote to Chief of Police Tyler Chandler.

After receiving FFRF’s letter, the violation was corrected. In an email to FFRF, Chandler addressed the complaint, stating that it would be resolved quickly. “I opted to have our construction manager and the graphics vendor revise the quote, and I am waiting for the work to be completed,” he wrote. “There are other graphic items in the new building that need to be corrected (not related to your specific inquiry), and all work should be completed by the end of the month.”

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A school district in Wisconsin made sure to refocus future Veterans Day programs by removing a scheduled prayer from future events. (April 2026)

Wisconsin —

The school district of Loyal, Wis., made sure to refocus future Veterans Day programs by removing a scheduled prayer from future events.

A district parent reported that in 2024 and 2025, the district’s Veterans Day programs on Nov. 11 included prayer as a scheduled part of the program. Additionally, FFRF learned that the football coach was leading the team in prayer before games and at team dinners.

“Even if students and parents know about the religious content of these activities and are able to opt out, voluntariness is no excuse for violating students’ rights,” FFRF Staff Attorney Madeline Ziegler wrote to the district.

After receiving FFRF’s letter, Superintendent Chris Lindner took the time to respond to the concerns and ensure that students’ rights were the district’s top priority. “I will talk to the program director of the Veterans Day program about taking this off the schedule,” Lindner wrote. Thankfully, Lindner also confirmed that the coach was not leading prayers, and that students were not being forced to participate in the religious practice.

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FFRF places full-page ad in NY Times supporting ‘No Kings’ march

The Freedom From Religion Foundation is joining in the defense of secular democracy with a full-page advertisement in the March 28 New York Times that coincides with the nationwide “No Kings” marches. 

The ad, which will appear in perhaps the country’s most respected newspaper, warns against the growing influence of Christian nationalism in American government and calls on citizens to reaffirm the nation’s foundational principle: that there are no kings — only laws, and a Constitution that applies equally to all. 

“America was founded on the rejection of monarchy and the embrace of Enlightenment ideals,” says FFRF Co-President Annie Laurie Gaylor. “We’re reminding the public that no political leader is above the law, and no religion should be imposed through government.” 

The “No Kings” marches, taking place in cities across the country, are organized in response to increasing concerns about authoritarianism and the erosion of democratic norms. FFRF’s ad underscores the role of secular governance in protecting individual freedoms, including religious liberty and the right to nonbelief. 

“The separation of state and church is what ensures true religious freedom,” says FFRF Co-President Dan Barker. “When government aligns with religion, it undermines both democracy and personal liberty.”

The advertisement features bold, symbolic imagery and a clear message: In the United States, sovereignty belongs to the people — not to religious authority or political strongmen.

FFRF encourages supporters and concerned citizens to participate in local “No Kings” marches and to remain vigilant in defending constitutional rights.

The Freedom From Religion Foundation is a U.S.-based nonprofit dedicated to defending the constitutional principle of separation between state and church and educating the public on matters relating to nontheism. With close to 42,000 members, FFRF is the largest association of freethinkers (atheists, agnostics and humanists) in North America. For more information, visit ffrf.org.

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