Dear OUSD School Board Members, Superintendent Knox, and Principal Damianos, 

It has come to the attention of many parents at Topa Topa Elementary that the First Baptist Church of Ojai has been soliciting volunteers from their congregation to play with the children at recess on Thursdays. Some of these volunteers are not parents of children at the school. Though Pastor Ruhl asserts “There is no Bible/religious activity involved on Thursdays, just helping out on the playground as a way to love and support the school.” We still have these concerns:

• Separation of church and state should be just that. An organized religious group that is interacting with children during school hours blurs these boundaries.
• We are not confident, nor can we be assured that religion isn’t discussed or implied during conversations with the school children.
• Pastors and congregation members on the playground during school hours can be confused for teachers, which can make what they say sound a lot like education.
• Pastors and congregation members are building relationships and trust with our children without our knowledge. These relationships open the door for potential conversations about their religion immediately after the school day concludes.
• We were not informed about the church representatives on the playground, and therefore could not consent.
• A church program sending people to the school is different from an individual volunteer. Someone from a program or organization would be inclined to uphold that organization’s interests, which might include bringing new members to the church.
• According to Superintendent Knox, “All volunteers fill out paperwork, submit a copy of their license and are checked through the Megan's Law website. They have to check in and check out and wear a badge.” We don’t believe this is enough. Volunteers should be live scanned, particularly if they are not parents.
• According to this religious organization insurer: “In the Church Mutual claims department, we receive at least one call a day about suspected abuse or abuse allegations. While any organization serving children is vulnerable to situations like this, houses of worship especially are at risk because they rely heavily on volunteers and may not invest the extra time and money in risk management.”

We ask that you disallow religious organizations from volunteering with the children during school hours. Proselytization and recruitment have long been goals of the church and public schools allow access to large, vulnerable, young audiences. 

 

Appendix:

Source:
https://www.fbcojai.org/topa-topa-elementary

 

 

 

 

 

 

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