Oregon Pastor Banned from Meeting with Public School Students
By Jim Brown
(AgapePress) – A minister has been barred from visiting Oregon students at their school during lunch breaks.
Jason Rhoads is a Nazarene pastor from Portland. Rhoads had been meeting with students in the Molalla River School District for more than a year, until he was asked to stop when a parent complained.
According to Reuters News, school officials called police to prevent Rhoads from entering the Molalla River Middle School.
Rhoads says he never preached to the students on school grounds, but did invite them to church. According to Rhoads, he visited the school at the invitation of students as a “friend,†and did not go there to “preach, teach, or proselytize religion.â€
Reuters says school officials met with Rhoads and his church’s senior pastor, but could not come to an agreement. A meeting between the school board, the community, and local pastors also failed to bring about a compromise.
Molalla School Board Chairman Ralph Gierke says since other groups such as the Girl Scouts or the Boy Scouts are not allowed into the school, the pastor’s visits should be considered “inappropriate.â€
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