Mays’ father said that his son witnessed faculty members and school administrators participating in the assembly like it was a church service.
The mother of a Jewish student who was unwillingly taken to the assembly said, “He told me the teacher made the whole class go to the auditorium, and they were having a sermon. He said, ‘I’ve asked to leave and I am not allowed to leave.’”
“I was brought up in a small Baptist church in Southern West Virginia, so this is not knocking Christianity,” she said. “It’s just saying that it was against the rights of my child and others mandated to go to this event.”
Other parents of students said it was a violation of their children’s rights. One parent said, “Even if it was volunteer-only, this kind of religious event should not have happened in a public school setting during the school day at all.”
High school senior Max Nibert said his “mind was blown” when he started receiving texts, photos, and videos from his friends who were mistakenly forced to attend the event. Nibert shared that his friends said they didn’t feel comfortable being there.
“When you try to indoctrinate young people like that,” Nibert said, “especially just totally disregarding the separation of church and state in this country, it’s mind-boggling and it’s disappointing.”
Flowers said, “It’s unfortunate that it happened. We don’t believe it will ever happen again.”
A video given to the Associate Press shows a student secretly recording one of the teacher’s apology to her students. The teacher told her students that after she realized her mistake, she didn’t want to be rude by having the entire class get up and leave.
Students Stage a Walkout in Protest
On Wednesday February 9, 2022, Nibert organized a walkout that took place during their break period. The senior sent a letter to WCHS Eyewitness News, stating that “if a revivalist Christian sermon can be held for students, we claim the absolute ability to protect the violation of our rights that accompanied the sermon during the same period.”
“I’ve been contacted by many community members that would like to attend the walk-out at Huntington High,” Nibert wrote on Facebook. “I would love to see you there! However, please note that I cannot make any promises about the school’s response. If you decide to come, please help us achieve our mission of a respectful but passionate display. Your support is so appreciated.”
Nibert is requesting that some sort of disciplinary action be taken on the teachers who were involved.
It has been reported that a large number of students attended the walkout.
