A federal appeals court has ruled in favor of a Maryland public school that refused to send home fliers in kids' bags advertising meetings of the Child Evangelism Fellowship. Should schools really help proselytizing little kids if they send home any other flyers of any community groups?

WJLA News reports:

The Evangelism Fellowship argued that the school system allows nonprofit groups such as the Boy Scouts to distribute materials, so faith-based organizations should have the same right. ... The lower court noted that the school system's policy offered other ways for the group to advertise its activities, such as at back-to-school nights and open houses and on bulletin boards.

Schools should treat religious organizations equally with other community groups, but there are going to be cases where that can't hold. Should a Muslim teacher, for example, be forced to stand up and shill for an evangelical group simply because the teacher also describes other meetings being held at the school? Of course not. Why, then, should the schools and teachers become instruments of evangelization by sending home evangelical literature with students — especially when there are other means for the group to advertise their activities?

Read More:

• Separation of Church and State 101
• Church and State News
• Religion in Public Schools
• Secularism 101