Students free to exercise religious liberty on 'Fields of Faith'

Alliance Defending Freedom legal memo explains constitutional freedoms of participating students

Wednesday, Oct 9, 2013

Attorney sound bites:  Jeremy Tedesco  |  Matt Sharp

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. — Alliance Defending Freedom is making available a legal memo that explains and reinforces the First Amendment freedom of students to participate in today’s “Fields of Faith” event. The Fellowship of Christian Athletes developed Fields of Faith, an annual, student-organized, and student-led gathering at school athletic fields where students will read the Bible, hear testimonies, worship, and pray for each other.
 
“Christian students should not be prevented from peacefully expressing their beliefs outside of class time. They don’t abandon their constitutional freedoms at the schoolhouse gate,” said Senior Legal Counsel Jeremy Tedesco. “The First Amendment protects freedom of speech for all students, regardless of their religious or political beliefs.”
 
In the past, some government school officials have unconstitutionally kept teachers and students from sharing about and participating in the event, often erroneously citing the First Amendment’s Establishment Clause.
 
The Alliance Defending Freedom legal memo explains that student groups have the constitutionally protected freedom to participate in Fields of Faith through prayer and worship activities and to inform their fellow students about the event the same extent that other student groups are allowed to promote, participate, and use school facilities for secular activities and events.
 
The legal memo also notes that the U.S. Supreme Court has ruled that “religious speech is protected by the First Amendment and may not be singled out for discrimination.” The memo explains that nothing in the Constitution “prohibits any public school student from voluntarily praying at any time before, during, or after the schoolday.”
 
“The First Amendment protects the freedom of students to participate in Fields of Faith through prayer and worship activities,” said Legal Counsel Matt Sharp. “Public school officials who say otherwise are misinformed. We hope our legal memo clarifies the freedom of students to hold and participate in this event.”
 
  • Pronunciation guide: Tedesco (Tuh-DESS’-ko)
 
Alliance Defending Freedom is an alliance-building, non-profit legal organization that advocates for the right of people to freely live out their faith.
 
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Legal Documents

2013 "Fields of Faith" legal memo

Related Resources

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ABOUT Matt Sharp

Matt Sharp serves as senior counsel with Alliance Defending Freedom, where he is the director of the Center for Public Policy. In this role, he leads ADF's team of policy experts as they craft legislation and advise government officials on policies that promote free speech, religious freedom, parental rights, and the sanctity of human life. Since joining ADF in 2010, Sharp has authored federal and state legislation, regularly provides testimony and legal analysis on how proposed legislation will impact constitutional freedoms, and advises governors, legislators, and state and national policy organizations on the importance of laws and policies that protect First Amendment rights. He has twice testified before the U.S. Congress on the importance of protecting free speech and religious liberty in federal law. Sharp also authored an amicus brief to the U.S. Supreme Court on behalf of nearly 9,000 students, parents, and community members asking the court to uphold students’ right to privacy against government intrusion. Sharp earned his J.D. in 2006 from the Vanderbilt University School of Law. A member of the bar in Georgia and Tennessee, he is also admitted to practice in several federal courts.


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