Watch CBS News

Church Ousted From Florence High School After Settlement

FLORENCE, Colo. (CBS4)- A teacher has settled his case against a school district where a church was sponsoring prayer circles and pizza parties on a high school campus.

The settlement was reached on Tuesday after a lawsuit was filed by former Florence High School teacher Robert Basevitz. He claimed he experienced religious discrimination at his school and when he formally complained about it, he says he was transferred to another school in the district.

Florence High School
A prayer circle outside Florence High School (credit: image from lawsuit)

The lawsuit stated that personalized Bibles were distributed to students, morning prayer circles were held on campus around the flagpole and that a church pastor from the Cowboy Church at Crossroads was regularly on the Florence High School campus ministering with the principal nearby.

As part of the settlement, the Cowboy Church at Crossroads will no longer be able to use the school district facilities for its worship services, school district employees cannot engage in religious activities with their students, sponsor prayer, sponsor religious activities, endorse religious groups or distribute religious literature.

View CBS News In
CBS News App Open
Chrome Safari Continue
Be the first to know
Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting.