Kalispell Public School Choirs Will Sing in Church Despite Opposition Letters

This week, the American Civil Liberties Union and the Freedom From Religion Foundation sent formal letters to the Kalispell public school system, asking them not to send choirs from three Kalispell highschools to a public event held at a church.

"It's a community open house at the Mormon church in which they have different fun activities and then they have different musical groups that come in and sing," said Kallispell Assistant Superintendent Daniel Zorn. "It's an open house open to all community members. It's an event that our kids have participated in for at least four or five years."

Zorn said that students have the freedom to opt-out of the event and will not be punished in any way if they do so. The show is expected to go on again this Friday night as it has in years past.

"We have no intention of stopping them from performing," Zorn said. "It's appropriate under the law. It's appropriate under court decisions that have considered this kind of thing, and it's an opportunity to perform at a community venue, and they perform in many community venues throughout the year in all of our music programs."

According to Zorn, only one individual in the community has had questions about the religious nature of the event and says that the move against it has come from “outside organizations.”

Daniel Zorn: