West Virginia school district says students’ rights were violated during religious gathering on campus

Pupil Samuel Felinton, who is Jewish, told CNN that in the course of the conference Nik Walker, an evangelical preacher, instructed the auditorium to near their eyes, elevate their arms in prayer to give their lives about to Jesus for purpose and salvation. All those who failed to abide by the Bible, Walker reported, would go to hell when they died, Felinton explained to CNN.

“At this point in the investigation, it is my perception that some students’ rights have been violated. As the investigation carries on, we should comply with because of process, which usually takes some time, in addressing any dependable personnel whilst working to make sure a scenario like this never takes place again,” mentioned Ryan S. Saxe, superintendent of Cabell County Schools, in a assertion on the district’s web-site.

“The district honors students’ legal rights to express their views. The district also respects students’ legal rights to religious expression. Nevertheless, forcing spiritual expression on people with differing beliefs is not appropriate and is not in alignment with district, point out, or federal coverage and will not be tolerated by my administration or the Board of Education and learning,” the statement said.

College students at the college staged a walkout very last 7 days in an try to get administrators to listen to their problems.

“These are youngsters that you should not sense comfortable attending this, you know, kids that may well be element of the LGBTQ community, or may possibly be non-Christian or nonreligious as a total, and they had been made to go,” reported Max Nibert, a senior at the university who structured the walkout.

In a Saturday statement to CNN, Nik Walker Ministries reported Walker’s “eyesight is to carry hope to a technology through being aware of Jesus Christ.”

“We are grateful that this eyesight is coming to existence in not only educational institutions but also churches that have all but missing hope in the entire world that we are living in,” the assertion said.

“When the chaos in our culture presents beginning to division, melancholy, and hopelessness, we obtain our hope and peace in Jesus. Numerous of the learners who go to the conferences come across the same eternal hope in Him just before they leave, as properly.”