Administrators

HELPING CAMPUS MINISTRY HAPPEN LEGALLY, RESPECTULLY

 

Founded by an Educator

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.

A Two-Fold Purpose

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:

Provide Guidance

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:

Give Students a Respectful Opportunity to Explore

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

LEGAL GUIDELINES FOR STUDENT – LED RELIGIOUS CLUBS

Equal Access Act

The Equal Access Act provides federal guidelines for studentled religious clubs in secondary schools. If a public secondary school receives federal funds and allows noncurricular clubs to meet on campus before or after classroom instruction, then federal law prohibits the school from discriminating against religious clubs.

Guidelines for Student-Led Religious Clubs

  • Require student leaders, and a teacher/staff sponsor. May meet during noninstructional time.
  • Can invite guest speakers to attend and participate in meetings.
  • Teacher sponsors can help behind the scenes and help during leader meetings but must only observe/supervise during club meetings.
  • Teachers and teacher sponsors can share personal views if directly asked or invited by a student.
  • Have same rights and access to bulletin boards, announcements, wallspace, classrooms/facilities, etcas any other club.
  • May need administrative approval for flyers and other promotional material.

Non-Discrimination Paramaters

A school cannot discriminate against a club on the basis of religion, in terms of:

Formation

Schools cannot deny the formation of a studentled religious club on the basis of religion. Schools can choose to not allow all noncurricular clubs. But, if it allows any noncurricular clubs (chess club, student council, National Honor Society, etc…), then it cannot deny a club based on its religious beliefs or nature.

Access

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, etcHowever, the school does have a right to ensure messaging will not cause a significant disruption.

If you have any questions or would like to schedule a meeting to gather more information, please contact us.

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