Savannah Lanz hopes to form a student group for students with atheist or agnostic views, called the Johnsburg Freethinkers Society, but local school district officials question whether its purpose conforms to district guidelines.
Johnsburg High School in Johnsburg, IL (pop. 5391), has a lot of conservative teachers, according to Savannah Lanz, 16. "A lot of my teachers express conservative beliefs. You can get the vibe it’s a conservative school and a conservative town," she said.
She wants to form a freethinkers' group to provide an alternative to the prevailing culture. She hopes it will provide a social alternative where "outcasts" can gather.
Joseph Williams, an assistant regional superintendent for the school district, says that groups must neither endorse nor oppose religion.
“Public schools are the neutral ground, and that’s a central feature of a democratic society,” Williams said.
The district superintendent, Dan Johnson, doubts that the group knows what they really want: "We've been told they just want to discuss different philosophical issues that are facing the world. This isn't an atheist group. It’s a philosophy club."
For Savannah Lanz, who explicitly rejects religion, there is no ambiguity about the the purpose of the proposed group.
"The goal of the group is just to prove people can lead ethical and moral lives without religion, and you don’t have to believe in God," said Lanz. "It's basically a group for people who consider themselves free-thinkers, atheists, agnostics or humanists."
She hopes the group will
Lanz and her friends are not allowing the red tape to prevent them from planning their first event. Their inaugural event will feature pirate costumes and a spaghetti dinner in deference to the Flying Spaghetti Monster. Read the source article here.