Christian sports ministry sues NJ school district over ban on outside mentors

The Fellowship of Christian Athletes (FCA), a Christian sports ministry, has filed a federal lawsuit against the Hopewell Valley Regional School District in New Jersey. The FCA alleges that the district unlawfully prohibits religious student clubs from having outside adult mentors, while permitting secular clubs to do so. The complaint, filed on Tuesday, names the Board of Education, Superintendent Rosetta D. Treece, and state education officials as defendants. The FCA claims the district implemented this ban after a complaint from the Freedom From Religion Foundation in March 2025, which argued that "schools cannot constitutionally allow religious organizations to treat schools as a recruiting ground for their religious mission." The lawsuit asserts that this policy constitutes religious discrimination, stating, "The district imposes one set of rules for secular student groups and another for the Fellowship of Christian Athletes—solely and expressly because FCA is religious." A summons has been issued, requiring the defendants to respond within 21 days.