Rio schools sued over religion group
Madison-based Freedom From Religion Foundation on Friday filed suit against the Rio School District for allowing a evangelical group to use its facilities for religious activities for free.
The lawsuit, filed in Dane County Circuit Court, also alleges that Child Evangelism Fellowship Group benefits from school resources because paid district personnel help post and distribute promotional material for the group to district students, some as young as 5 years old.
The lawsuit was filed by the Freedom From Religion Foundation co-presidents Annie Laurie Gaylor and Dan Barker. It lists as defendants state Superintendent of Public Instruction Elizabeth Burmaster and Rio District Administrator Mark McGuire.
The lawsuit states that Burmaster is named because she oversees appropriations to school districts, and those appropriations are being used to support a religious organization.
The Freedom From Religion Foundation contends that providing free space to Child Evangelism Fellowship Group violates the Wisconsin Constitution, which states that use of public school buildings by religious organizations is allowed if the organization pays reasonable compensation for the use.
The lawsuit alleges that the school district has refused to charge Child Evangelism Fellowship Group for the use of the buildings.
The suit says the Freedom From Religion Foundation has more than 12,000 members, including parents of young children enrolled in the Rio district.
