Bridge 2913 was founded by Matt Spencer, who served for 12 years in public secondary schools as an English teacher and coach. Matt has his principal certification and served as FCA sponsor during his years as a teacher. As a result of his education and experience, Matt has a strong understanding of how ministry on campus can be done legally and effectively.
Matt founded Bridge 2913 because he saw two things. First, he saw many students who wanted to have the opportunity to have religious conversations and explore God. Second, he saw many people in the community – students, teachers, and churches – who did not understand how they could legally engage in ministry opportunities for students. As a result, Bridge 2913 exists to:
We work with students, teachers, and churches from the community to help them understand their legal rights, and we offer access to tools and resources so they can:
We want to help these leaders offer students the chance to explore God and Christianity in a way that is inviting, friendly, and respectful. We hope to offer students the chance to engage in discussion, discover and conclude for themselves without being coerced in any way, while maintaining the integrity of the educational environment. Their choices and conclusions are their own!
“The founder of Bridge 2913 oversaw the religious student club legally and professionally on my campus for several years. In that time, students from all walks of life were given the opportunity to respectfully explore faith and were groomed into effective leaders. I am confident Bridge 2913 will have an incredible impact on both the students’ lives and the culture on your campus.”
Mike Williams,
Principal, Wylie East High School
The Equal Access Act provides federal guidelines for student–led religious clubs in secondary schools. If a public secondary school receives federal funds and allows non–curricular clubs to meet on campus before or after classroom instruction, then federal law prohibits the school from discriminating against religious clubs.
A school cannot discriminate against a club on the basis of religion, in terms of:
Schools cannot deny the formation of a student–led religious club on the basis of religion. Schools can choose to not allow all non–curricular clubs. But, if it allows any non–curricular clubs (chess club, student council, National Honor Society, etc…), then it cannot deny a club based on its religious beliefs or nature.
Schools must grant equal access to religious clubs as any other club on campus with respect to facility use, meeting space, and announcements/bulletin boards, etc… However, the school does have a right to ensure messaging will not cause a significant disruption.
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