Crowd advocates for student religious clubs
Dec. 14—GUILFORD COUNTY — About 20 people appealed Tuesday night for Guilford County Schools to allow Christian clubs for students to meet at schools after classes end for the day rather than making them wait until after 6 p.m.
Pastor Sherman Mason of New Bethel Baptist Church in High Point was among those during the Guilford County Board of Education's period for public comments who cited the good that such clubs and related outreach had been doing before the COVID-19 pandemic, when the clubs were still allowed to meet in the afternoon. Mason cited one teenager who had been facing seven felony charges, but ministry outreach to him turned him around and he graduated high school with highest honors.
"One delight I have is seeing lives transformed that transform our community," he said.
Joseph Bradley Self of Jamestown spoke about both the emotional support that children in the clubs get and the support that the schools themselves get from churches that adopt a school. He said his church was ready "with a phone call" to step in to help a school fill gaps.
"We just want to try to meet the needs," he said.
Other speakers mentioned breakfasts and lunches that churches used to provide for faculty and the volunteer hours that church members served doing such things as working as proctors while students took tests.
Patricia Cheek of Greensboro and the Child Evangelism Fellowship said the group had sponsored Good News Clubs at schools throughout GCS before the pandemic and provided over 250 volunteers in the school system.
From 2007 until the pandemic temporarily shut down schools, the clubs had been able to meet in the hours after classes ended. Cheek said they met for just one hour on one day a week and often drew 10% to 20% of the student body.
After the pandemic eased and students started meeting in classes again, organizers of one of the Good News Clubs wanted to resume meeting at Joyner Elementary School in Greensboro. A group of parents opposed to religious groups meeting in the schools countered by trying to organize an "After School Satan Club."
In the controversy that followed, the school board changed its policy on use of school facilities requiring that clubs meet after 6 p.m.
In other business Tuesday night, the school board swore in two board members elected in November, Republican Crissy Pratt in District 2 and Democrat Alan Sherouse in the at-large district.
But in a separate action, the board rejected in a party-line 5-2 vote installing Michael Logan, the choice of Republican Party officials in District 3 to replace Pat Tillman, who was elected to the Guilford County Board of Commissioners in November. Democrat Diane Bellamy-Small was late to the meeting and was not present for that vote.
Logan, who had anticipated the vote and signed up before the meeting to speak during the public comment period, angrily accused the school board of violating state law by rejecting the recommendation of the Republican Party's executive committee.
