I wasn’t very surprised when I saw that my old high school made the national news yet again for another controversial issue. When I was a senior at Middleton High School last year, there was a lunch held at the local park next door every Tuesday called “Jesus Lunch”. A few moms would hold these lunches while providing free food and having discussions about Christianity to high school students that chose to go willingly. I personally never attended one of these lunches, but I knew several people that did. So what’s wrong with a religious lunch that’s off-campus?
Well...it’s on campus...but it isn’t...but it is...but it isn’t…
These lunches are held at Fireman’s Park next door during lunch hours. Many make the argument that if the lunch is off campus and students are going willingly, then where is the foul? Well the Middleton-Cross Plains Area School District leases the park next door from the city during school hours. One the purposes for the school leasing this park during the school day was to prevent students from doing drugs, such as smoking marijuana, on or near school property. Nevertheless, I have personally used the park for several classes and during school hours, MCPASD has control of the park. This means the park is subjected to the district’s and school’s policy. This is where the Freedom From Religion Foundation made their prime argument. Why is Middleton High School letting a group of adults “luer” minors somewhere on school property promising free food while preaching their religion? This nation does have a separation between church and state, endorsing no religion. Jesus Lunch does in fact attract minors to Christian conversations accompanied by free food without having the consent of their parents.
However…
I thought Freedom From Religion Foundation had a great argument at first. The school shouldn’t be letting a religious group promoting their religion on school grounds while giving out free food. However, this controversial issue is far more complex. The parents that hold “Jesus Lunch” legally lease Fireman’s Park from the city during lunch hours. The city of Middleton has told the high school that it can enforce its policies during the school day “as long as it doesn’t conflict with the interest with the general public.” This is where the Freedom From Religion Foundation’s argument crumbles for me. The general public has freedom of religion and freedom of speech. Is Fireman’s Park legally a part of Middleton High School’s campus during school hours? Yes.
Do the parents that host these religious lunches control this area of the campus during certain hours of the day on Tuesday? Yes.
In Conclusion
Jesus Lunch is religious lunch that is held (technically) on-campus by parents that lease the park from the city during certain hours. The Middleton-Cross Plains Area School District can tell these parents to stop holding these lunches, but this doesn’t mean they have to stop. Jesus Lunch can and will continue. The high school’s administration can claim that these lunches make students feel uncomfortable, but what about the politically or religiously motivated clubs at the high school? How about the LGBT club and many of the teacher’s openly endorsing certain agenda’s? The reference to “God” in the Pledge of Allegiance? The school and district have plenty of other things to worry about besides of a group of loving mother’s providing free meals to our youth at a park that they lease. Regardless of my religious affiliation or the next person’s; what these parents are doing is legal. We can’t keep worrying about every single person’s feelings because someone will always be offended or uncomfortable.
Until the next big news story, Middleton...
