Dear John,

On Bring Your Bible to School Day (Thursday, October 3) students across the nation will celebrate religious freedom and share God’s love with their friends by bringing their bibles to school. This is an annual event for students sponsored by Focus on the Family. The event empowers students to express their belief in the truth of God’s Word–and to do so in a respectful way that demonstrates the love of Christ.  Participation is voluntary and student-directed—meaning it’s completely up to students.  Students can participate alone or Christian clubs and youth groups can sign up online and then lead the activities in their school. For more information, click here. Information on Bring Your Bible to School Day provided by our friends at Compass Ministries (www.compasslink.org)

 REMEMBER THAT STUDENTS HAVE THE RIGHT TO BRING THEIR BIBLES 

 Students in a public school have First Amendment rights to engage in voluntary, free speech conversations in a way that does not interfere with or substantially disrupt classroom time and academic instruction. That means they can voluntarily express their personal and religious beliefs to their classmates through verbal or written expressions, as long as they follow school policy and do not engage in these activities during classroom or instruction time.

We have heard of kids' First Amendment freedoms being infringed by Minnesota schools in the past, so here's the important part: 

If you or anyone you know has heard of a child being barred from exercising their First Amendment rights to freedom of religion, on Bring Your Bible to School Day or at any other time, Minnesota Family Council is ready to help. We can provide resources to students and families whose rights have been infringed - because if we don't stand up when one person's rights are threatened, we will all be vulnerable to First Amendment attacks in the future. 

So, if you hear of a child experiencing a violation of his or her right to religious freedom, contact us immediately by replying to this email or at [email protected].

 The work of Minnesota Family Council is to strengthen families, defend freedoms, and advance biblical truth in our state. That’s what we’re doing to keep our state and our country great. Will you join us? Your contribution of any amount helps us fight for life, family, and religious freedom at the Capitol, the courthouse, and across our state.