Legal Rights Guide
Christian Outreach
at Public Schools:
Yes, it's legal!
Download Our Free Legal Rights Guide!
This free guide covers everything you need to know about students legally sharing the gospel on their public school campus. Download our guide today to learn about the constitutional rights that protect students’ free speech, tips on interacting with school admin, and more!
Know your rights
The First Amendment
“Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.” —The US Bill of Rights
The 1st Amendment of the Constitution protects most of the major freedoms that you need in order to reach your school, specifically in two major ways.
Students have freedom of religion. People frequently misinterpret this to mean that government and religion should always be separated, but this is not true. Rather, the 1st Amendment simply says that government cannot interfere with religious practice.
Students have freedom of speech. That means that students can openly speak on their beliefs about God. This freedom extends to communicating through written form as well. Students can personally witness on campus, they can give away Christian materials – such as bibles, tracts, and even flyers that promote Christian events, and students can even wear clothing with Christian messages.
The Equal Access Act
“It shall be unlawful for any public secondary school which receives Federal financial assistance and which has a limited open forum to deny equal access or a fair opportunity to, or discriminate against, any students who wish to conduct a meeting within that limited open forum on the basis of the religious, political, philosophical, or other content of the speech at such meetings.” —US Department of Justice
The Equal Access Act ensures that Christian clubs are given the same privileges on campus that every other club receives. This means that…
- If any club can meet on campus as a club,
- If any other club can reserve rooms/locations on campus,
- If any other club can invite guests to attend their meetings,
- If any other club can put up posters and advertise their club,
- If any other club can make announcements over the P.A. system,
The Pacific Justice Institute
If you—student, parent, pastor, or school administrator—have any questions about the legality of student-led expression of faith on campus, the Pacific Justice Institute is ready to help. Over the past 16 years, Decision Point has connected many students with PJI for advice, expert opinion, and even legal action in rare cases.
The Pacific Justice Institute is a non-profit 501(c)(3) legal defense organization specializing in the defense of religious freedom, parental rights, and other civil liberties. Pacific Justice Institute works diligently, without charge, to provide its clients with all the legal support they need.
- Learn more about PJI at PacificJustice.org,
- Dive a bit deeper with one of their short booklets specific to public schools
Public Education Religious Rights: choose either California or Illinois, - Download this letter to send to your school’s principal/superintendent informing them of student legal rights,
- And when ready, Request Help.
Christian Educators
We also partner with Gateways to Better Education. They equip public school educators, leaders, parents and students to protect and promote religious freedom for all students.
Your Legal Rights in Action
Your Step-By-Step Guide to Communicating with your School Admin
Whether you want to host an outreach event or start a Christian club, we’ve built a step-by-step guide with proven email templates to help you get school approval faster. Remember, you represent Christ in every interaction with school leaders, and God goes before you in ways you can’t imagine. We’re praying for you.
Steps to Take If Admin Does Not Respond
1. Submit Event or New Club Request
2. Send Follow-Up Email
**only complete this step if no response after two business days after completing step 1**
Sending a follow-up email is a courteous way of checking in on the status of your request while reminding admin that your request has not been completed yet.
Ask for a response to the facility request submitted a couple of days ago
CC your parent and your coach
As always, save a copy of your email!
We also recommend going in person to follow up on the request, in addition to sending an email. Be sure to record information for this visit for future reference, such as date and time, who you talked to, what they said, etc.
3. Have Your Parent Send a Follow-Up Email to Admin
**only complete this step if no response after two business days after completing step 2**
A great step your parent can take to support you in this is to contact your administrator themself to inquire why your request has not been answered or approved. In some cases, your admin may just be busy and haven’t had the opportunity to respond to your request.
Have your parent request for admin to respond (if they’re ignoring the request)
Have your parent ask for admin to approve (if they need a polite nudge)
Make sure your parent saves a copy of the email!
4. Contact a Pacific Justice Institute Attorney For Legal Representation
**only complete this step if no response after two business days after completing step 3**
If the school is deliberately ignoring your request or denying your rights, have your coach or another Decision Point staff contact the Pacific Justice Institute (PJI) attorney in your region.
Give a summary of the situation
Provide information of all attempts to contact school admin
Request the attorney to draft a letter to admin on behalf of the students
Provide names and contact information of school admin to send letter to
CC teacher advisor, student leaders, and parents on the letter
Save a copy of the letter and contents that were sent
Steps to Take If Your Request is Denied
1. Send Follow-Up Email
Any time a school administrator denies a student request, you as the student have a right to request the reason behind the decision.
Ask for a copy of the written policies on student requests — check to understand whether the reason for denial is founded
Share the Legal Rights PDFs to inform them of the rights you have
CC your parents and your coach
Save a copy of your email
2. Have Your Parent Send an Email to Admin
If the school will not reverse their decision, have your parent step in to advocate.
Have your parent request a meeting with the school principal
Save a copy of your email
3. Contact Pacific Justice Institute Attorney for Legal Representation
If the school continues to deny your rights, have your coach or another Decision Point staff contact the Pacific Justice Institute attorney in your region.
Give a summary of the situation
Provide information of all attempts to contact school admin
Request the attorney to draft a letter to admin on behalf of the students
Provide names and contact information of school admin to send letter to
CC teacher advisor, student leaders, and parents on the letter
Save a copy of the letter and contents that were sent
Pacific Justice Institute Resources
Get email templates, resources, and find a Pacific Justice Institute (PJI) attorney near you.
Legal Rights
Guide
Download the guide to learn about your legal rights to share the gospel on your campus.
Using Legal
Rights Documents
Learn more about three key legal rights documents you can use.
In your corner
Brad
Dacus
“We at Pacific Justice Institute count it a privilege to our long history of partnership with Decision Point. They are wisely using their rights under the law to share the good news of Jesus Christ to thousands of students in public schools that otherwise would never hear the Gospel. We look forward to serving and supporting this ministry in the many days ahead.”
David
Schmus
“We love Decision Point! We represent thousands of Christian educators who want to see the gospel proclaimed at their public schools but who are concerned about legal challenges. Decision Point meets them in this place of deep need by equipping effective leaders to advance the gospel, while ensuring their Christian clubs are truly student-led. What a blessing!”
Warren Willis
Founder of
Decision Point
“3.3 million students are graduating from high school every single year, many of them without ever hearing the gospel. The mission field of our local public schools is a frontier we cannot afford to ignore. That’s why we are eager to partner with the local church, Christian educators and parents to do whatever we can to equip Christian students to share the gospel with their peers and classmates while it’s still legal.”
Your school is waiting
Be the one who
starts the movement
It doesn’t take a crowd. It takes one student with the courage to start. We’ll give you everything you need, for free. The moment is now.