At Reyburn Intermediate and Clovis East High Schools, the Fellowship of Christian Athletes (FCA) has received criticism for allegedly using free pizza to attract students to its lunchtime meetings. Parents have expressed concerns about this, with one claiming that the club is “basically luring in kids that are under 18, that are still trying to find themselves and are still trying to explore.”

Others complained that they were not notified about the club being present on campus.

The parents who spoke to The Bee asked to remain anonymous, fearing retaliation against them or their children. They also said they were not notified via email, text, permission slip or asked for their consent for the FCA to approach their children.

“Back in my days when I was a high school student, to join any kind of club I needed my parents to sign a permission slip for me to attend,” one Clovis East parent said. “I am upset that they actually do have that kind of club there without parents’ consent.”

Some parents also pointed out that they do not practice Christianity at home, but they are religious and believe in different doctrines. They questioned if their children’s school allows other religions to conduct their activities on school grounds, and wondered why their underage children were being exposed to a religion they don’t practice at home in this manner.

Another parent, who has a student at Reyburn Intermediate, said their child learned about the free pizza at the lecture hall through the morning’s school-wide announcements. The parent said the child recalled an adult — not a student — leading an opening prayer and then talking about accepting God, repenting their sins and the relationship between Jesus and athletes. This parent also said their child wasn’t allowed to use their phone during the session. “They’re using pizza as a way to get children in,” one of the parents said.

Kelly Avants, Clovis Unified’s spokesperson, defended the club, asserting that the FCA meets with students during school hours through its affiliated student-led club and noting that all clubs have faculty advisors.

Clovis Unified’s spokesperson Kelly Avants said the FCA can meet with students during school hours through its affiliated student-led club on campus. She said that there are 40-plus student clubs at Clovis East, including the fishing, gay-straight alliance and Sikh clubs. Avants said the FCA is operating in accordance with the district’s student clubs policies.

All Clovis Unified clubs must have faculty advisors, she said, who are responsible for supervising students and observing that school rules are followed. Faculty advisors can also request information about club activities be added to school announcements.

These announcements include information about club field trips and meetings. If club meetings are scheduled during lunch time, Avants said some information about if/what food would be provided can also be shared so students know if they need to get lunch before going to a club’s meeting.

This story is reminiscent of another such controversy at another California school. At Pleasant Grove Elementary School in Elk Grove, parents complained after it was revealed that the school had a “secret” LGBTQ club on campus. The club was ostensibly created to promote inclusivity. But some parents complained because they were not notified about the existence of the club, meaning that their children would be allowed to attend without their parents’ knowledge or consent.

The club was aimed at supposedly promoting “inclusivity” among fourth and sixth graders who might be curious about their sexuality and gender identity — however, the controversy centers on the decision to start this club without obtaining parental consent.

Parents at a California elementary school have been left outraged after discovering a ‘secret’ LGBTQ club set up by a teacher.

The third-grade staffer, who was not identified, formed the ‘you be you’ at Pleasant Grove Elementary School in Elk Grove.

The teacher invited students in the fourth through sixth grade to attend the private meetings.

Brittani Cortina, who has a second and a fourth grader at the school, said her older child told her the teacher went into class and told the students about the club.

Cortina said: ‘The teacher came in and spoke about how boys like boys and girls like girls.’

Parents gathered at Elk Grove Unified’s School board meeting last week to voice their fury about the the lack of transparency from the district.

Kirk Thomas, a parent whose kids are in the district, told CBS13 “There was no permission slip. There was no notification to parents.”

While some of the Clovis parents appeared concerned about being notified, it seems others might just take issue with the existence of a club that espouses differing religious and possibly political beliefs. It appears it is more about attacking a Christian organization than parental rights.

If FCA was not behaving any differently from other clubs, then it should not be a problem to have the organization on campus – especially if they allow clubs representing other religions as well. The notion that providing free pizza is somehow nefarious is absurd and betrays an attempt to smear and discredit the gathering.

Nevertheless, schools should have ways of informing parents about the various clubs they choose to allow on campus. These institutions should be aimed at instructing students and equipping them with the skills necessary to become successful adults – not indoctrinating them into a political ideology.