The complaint accuses the Fellowship of Christian Athletes of promoting anti-LGBTQ+ beliefs. The school’s chapter of FCA, which had not yet begun, is suspended for at least 30 days.

A Christian athlete group has been temporarily blocked from setting up a chapter at Jackson-Reed after a grievance was filed with DCPS alleging that the organization engages in LGBTQ+ discrimination. 

Founded in 1954, the Fellowship of Christian Athletes (FCA) is an international organization that hopes “to lead every coach and athlete into a growing relationship with Jesus Christ and His Church,” according to the mission on their website. The presence of the organization in schools has been challenged in several states due to similar allegations of discrimination. 

The grievance within DCPS was filed on September 29 by Paul Legere, a former Jackson-Reed parent and current freshman baseball coach.

In his grievance, Legere cited another FCA chapter’s “Student Leadership Application,” a form required to be signed by that club’s leaders. The application requires students to agree to FCA’s “Sexual Purity Policy.” Legere asserted that Jackson-Reed is “allowing and supporting” an organization that is openly against the LGBTQ+ community. 

Legere filed the grievance with the DCPS Comprehensive Alternative Resolution and Equity Team (CARE) due to concern about the establishment of a Jackson-Reed FCA chapter.

Legere said he believes that the FCA shouldn’t be involved in the school. “[The group’s positions on sex and gender] are things that if you are trying to run any kind of inclusive program become objectionable,” Legere said.

The Student Leadership Application that Legere cited contains a “Sexual Purity Policy” which states, “God desires His children to lead pure lives of holiness. The Bible is clear in teaching on sexual sin including sex outside of marriage and homosexual acts. Neither heterosexual sex outside of marriage nor any homosexual act constitute an alternative lifestyle acceptable to God.” 

The FCA website also lists a “Christian Community Statement,” requiring official members of the organization to abide by certain values. It includes declarations that identity must be found in Christ and that “God creates people in His image as two distinct genders, male and female, and that the intended gender of an individual is determined by such individual’s biological sex at birth.”

The DCPS Anti-Discrimination Policy states that “DCPS does not tolerate discrimination based on sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, or gender expression.”

Jackson-Reed Principal Sah Brown said that it was possible the school would take action based on the results of the DCPS CARE Team’s investigation. “Regardless of what an individual club might say on a national level, if those things don’t necessarily align to the DCPS mission and our expectation here at Jackson-Reed, we may need to reevaluate,” Brown said.

However, George Washington University Professor of Law and Religion Robert Tuttle said in an interview with The Beacon that it was unlikely that any successful legal action could be taken against the FCA. Under federal law, religious groups are permitted at public schools.

“If you allow student organizations of various types, you have to be open to all religious organizations on an equal basis,” Tuttle said. “Speech constraints—for example, the [FCA’s] positions on LGBTQ+ positions—are unlikely to be a sufficient legal basis to block the group because that would be seen as discrimination [against the FCA].”

In recent years, the presence of FCA in schools has been challenged in U.S. courts in other states. At Pioneer High School in San Jose, California, when a social studies teacher learned of an FCA Student Leadership Application, he raised his concerns with the principal. After the club was removed from the school, the FCA sued the school district and several of its officials for recognition of the club. 

In August, a three-judge panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 9th Circuit ruled 2-1 in favor of the FCA. “Under the First Amendment, our government must be scrupulously neutral when it comes to religion: It cannot treat religious groups worse than comparable secular ones,” Judge Kenneth K. Lee wrote.

“This case pits two competing values that we cherish as a nation: the principle of non-discrimination on the one hand, and the First Amendment’s protection of the free exercise of religion and free speech on the other hand,” Lee continued. 

In a statement to The Beacon, the national chapter of the FCA, which is based in Kansas City, Missouri, said, “All at Fellowship of Christian Athletes (FCA) believe that every person is loved by God and deserves to be treated with dignity and respect. That’s why FCA welcomes everyone to its activities and events, and FCA student Huddles [bible groups] are open to all students.”

The FCA “seeks to make disciples by engaging, equipping and empowering coaches and athletes on a voluntary basis to know and grow in Christ and help others do the same,” the FCA statement continued.

Brown was previously the principal at Eastern High School, where there is currently an FCA chapter. Eastern High School is believed to be the only other public high school in the city with an FCA chapter. Eastern FCA chapter sponsor Marcus Konde declined comment to The Beacon, citing “ongoing litigation.” CARE Team Investigator Donica Adesokanis did not comment if the “litigation” was related to the grievance at Jackson-Reed.

Brown told The Beacon that he is not associated with the FCA in any capacity and emphasized his priority of inclusion and equity. 

“It’s really important to me that all our clubs and sports are open to any student of any interest, any background,” Brown said. 

Jackson-Reed math teacher Grant Franke said he was approached by the FCA to sponsor the school’s new chapter. Franke said that FCA sponsors and students at Jackson-Reed would not be required to sign any documents.

In interviews with captains of Jackson-Reed sports teams, student-athletes said they were open to the idea of a Christian athletes club, but they were opposed to the FCA due to the clauses in the Christian Community Statement. 

Senior Corinne White, the co-captain of the girls’ crew team, said, “I think our school is supportive of all students. And in more ways, I also think having a club, where principles of homophobia [are present] kind of defeats the purpose of accepting everyone at our school and supporting everyone.”

Sophomore Indie Wallace, the captain of the track team, said, “I feel like it’s gonna be contradictory to our [school’s] values.” 

While FCA chapters are involved in schools, they are also associated with club sports teams. Prior to coaching at Jackson-Reed, Legere said a club team he coached played FCA teams in local travel leagues. The organization reached out to him several times about affiliating with the FCA. “They are pretty aggressive. They’re out there constantly trying to recruit coaches and programs,” Legere said. 

The DCPS CARE Team told Legere that the investigation would be concluded within 30 business days of the grievance being filed, on November 11. The standard investigation period for grievances is 10 days. The DCPS CARE Team declined to comment on any deviation from standard procedure.

Upon completion of the investigation, Brown and Instructional Superintendent Kimberly Martin will receive a letter of resolution. 

Some people associated with Jackson-Reed have previously worked with the FCA. While not an official member of the organization, Instructional Coach and head softball coach David Thompson has been involved with the organization for six years and has periodically attended its fundraisers. FCA area representative Kayla Kelly is a certified DCPS volunteer and has visited Jackson-Reed this school year. Kelly has also assisted with Jackson-Reed softball practices in the past. 

Athletic Director Nadira Ricks said that Kelly reached out to her at the beginning of the school year to host a coaches’ breakfast funded by the FCA. Ricks disseminated the information to Jackson-Reed coaches and the breakfast was held at the beginning of the school year. It is unknown who attended the breakfast.

The DC chapter of FCA also scheduled a “Jericho March,” which the FCA describes as seven laps around a track with a specific prayer for each lap, on November 12 at Jackson-Reed. However, all FCA club activities were suspended at Jackson-Reed due to the ongoing investigation.

On a national level, FCA organizes camps, prayers, and more than 18,000 certified “huddles,” in 2020. According to the FCA website, huddles, which act as bible groups, are meant to “build community with other coaches and athletes as well as resource you with the tools you need to grow in the essentials of your faith and become a fully-devoted follower of Christ.”

The Statement of Faith posted on the homepage of the national FCA website previously listed the same gender and sexuality clauses listed in the “Christian Community Statement.” Cyd Ziegler, a founder of Outsports, which covers LGBTQ+ issues in sports, told The Beacon that in the past year, the clauses were removed from the page. 

While The Beacon was reporting this story, the local chapter of the FCA remodeled multiple online pages. Among other edits was the removal of links to access the “Christian Community Statement.” The website also previously listed the chapters across DC, including Jackson-Reed, which has since been removed. 

The DC FCA chapter holds monthly Zoom prayer calls where they list prayer requests for each of their chapters on their website. On November 1, they prayed for “open doors at Jackson-Reed.” •