Legal troubles may be in the near future for some Branson-area public schools.

According to the Freedom From Religion Foundation (FFRF), “…youth ministers have been allowed admittance to several public schools in the Branson area. KLIFE, which describes itself as a ‘Christian ministry to area youth,’ is one evangelical group that visited students.”

A video obtained by Ye Olde Journalist shows a preacher, identified as KLIFE scout Robert Bruce, performing a prayer at Hollister Middle School while dozens of middle school students ring the lunchroom in a prayer circle. The video shows four students, who appear to not be participating in the prayer, surrounded by the other praying students.

Because the video was posted on social media by a minor and includes dozens of minors in it, Ye Olde Journalist has decided not to release the video or provide a link to it.

A parent whose child attends Hollister complained to the FFRF about the ministry visits. FFRF wrote a letter to Hollister R-V Superintendent Dr. Brian Wilson demanding that he “immediately stop all visits to District schools during the school day by Robert Bruce and KLIFE representatives.” The parent and child, out of concerns for their safety and privacy, wish to remain anonymous.

In a KLIFE video (available below) from 2014, Branson Junior High Principal Bryan Bronn is shown saying, “Somebody once told me that if you wanted to reach students and you wanted to be serious about being, as Jesus called us to be, fishers of men, then you need to be serious about where the fish are at. And we all know that fish travel in… schools.”

In 2013, KLIFE ministries was banned from similar activities in Conway, Arkansas after the FFRF threatened legal action against the school district for offering “unique access” to Christian ministers.

As I’ve reported before, proselytizing and promoting religion in schools, where the audience is both captive and malleable, is a serious problem here in the Ozarks. If the schools in the Branson area choose to ignore the FFRF’s request, they could be opening themselves up to a serious 1^st amendment lawsuit. Furthermore, if they don’t shut down the prayer sessions, the schools may have inadvertently turned themselves into a public forum, thereby allowing any religious group to demand access so that they can preach their message. If any such religious group were to be refused, they too would have standing to sue the school for violating their constitutional rights.

You can read the FFRF’s letter to the Hollister School District here:

46161B40-C471-4F4C-B4AC-CF13F0A6DE8D_Hollister R-V School District MO

You can view the KLIFE video featuring Principal Bronn here: