Lawyers Say Shared-Use By YMCA, School, Not A Church-State Problem

The Northland Pines School District in Wisconsin is proposing to lease land to the YMCA that would permit it to build a facility onto a new high school that is being constructed. Students would have free use of the YMCA athletic facilities during the school day. The Vilas County (WI) News-Review reported yesterday that a law firm engaged by the school board concluded that the agreement does not create church-state problems. The law firm of Davis & Kuelthau S.C., said that the YMCA is unlikely to be found to be a religious organization, despite the fact that it was originally founded on Christian principles. Moreover, it concluded, the purpose of the shared-use agreement between the school and the YMCA is purely secular, and it will not have the primary effect of promoting or advancing religion. Nevertheless, the Freedom From Religion Foundation has written to the school board, expressing concern that the shared-use agreement does not explicitly prohibit religious slogans or imagery in the YMCA building.