An image of young Christians holding hands and praying. (Moment Makers Group / Getty Images)
By Michael Austin August 23, 2026 at 5:00am
A chapter of the Fellowship of Christian Athletes filed a federal lawsuit against a New Jersey school district after the club was blocked from having volunteer mentors — even as they were allowed for other clubs.
The lawsuit, filed on Aug. 11 by religious liberty advocacy group Becket, alleged that two FCA clubs at Hopewell Valley Regional School District were banned from having volunteers under a policy forbidding outside mentors for religious clubs.
“While other student groups benefit from regularly hosting adult volunteers (a resource often crucial to the groups’ long-term health), the District has declared that for ‘religious clubs,’ ‘no outside individuals are permitted’ at all,” the lawsuit said.
“This damaging double standard is precisely the type of discrimination the Constitution and civil rights law forbid.”
Carolyn McDonough, FCA New Jersey Area Director and Hopewell Valley Central High School alumna, said in a statement that “as an inaugural member of FCA at Hopewell Valley’s Central High School, I know firsthand how much mentors mean to students.”
“They helped me grow in my relationship with Jesus and live out my faith through sports. Now I have the privilege of doing the same for today’s students. I pray the court will let me continue that ministry.”
FCA sues NJ school district over mentor ban enacted after atheist group’s complaint https://t.co/pZeTgnUnmL
— The Christian Post (@ChristianPost) August 14, 2026
Becket said in their statement that the chapters of FCA at Central High School and Timberlane Middle School had previously “met for years without incident.”
FCA staff members and volunteers “attending as mentors, just like adult volunteers and mentors routinely attend events held by other clubs across the district,” the statement added.
But the school district changed course after a March 2025 letter from the Freedom From Religion Foundation — which sent “a letter to the school district complaining about outside volunteers attending FCA.”
The district then announced “a new policy barring outside individuals from attending any meetings of religious clubs, claiming the law required it,” even without “identifying which law supposedly did so.”
But the lawsuit contended that “the District got the law backwards.”
The complaint noted that the Supreme Court has repeatedly ruled against singling out religious Americans for discrimination.
“An atheist advocacy group didn’t like that Christian kids were choosing to learn about faith, life, and sports from trusted mentors,” Joseph Davis, senior counsel at Becket and lead attorney for FCA, said in the statement.
“And after years of a great relationship with FCA clubs, the school district regrettably gave the advocacy group its way. Fortunately, the Constitution forbids religious discrimination. We’re confident the court will restore equal access for all student groups.”
Advertise with The Western Journal and reach millions of highly engaged readers, while supporting our work. Advertise Today.
Michael wrote for several entertainment news outlets before joining The Western Journal in 2020. He now serves as Managing Editor, which involves managing the editorial team and operations, guiding the publication’s editorial direction, and writing, editing, curating and assigning stories as needed.
Birthplace
Ames, Iowa
Nationality
American
Education
Iowa State University
Topics of Expertise
Cultural Politics, Pop Culture, Christian-Conservatism
