Administrators at Pisgah High School in Canton, North Carolina were refusing to allow 15-year-old Kalei Wilson from forming an atheist club. Reportedly, the school caved in later fearing further negative publicity. National organizations including Freedom From Religion Foundation and Secular Student Alliance had to write letters to the school administrators for them to change their minds.
After the school permitted Kalei to set up the secular atheist club, she met with her principal to discuss the nitty-gritty details and spoke to nearly a dozen students who had earlier expressed an interest in joining her club. She even spoke to two faculty members who promised her help with funding and sponsorship. However, all of this came to a sudden halt on February 25.
Kalei had already started raising funds for the club online and had managed to receive $500 in a short span of time. However, a recent update on her fundraising page said that the money would be returned to respective donors as Kalei would not be able to continue with the organization any further.
“It saddens us to report that due to the numerous threats and the verbal attacks on Kalei along with the vindictive witch-hunt to hurt the reputations of affiliated local groups and our own family, Kalei will not be continuing with the group. We have contacted GoFundMe and requested they return your generous donations. They have assured us that your funds will show back up in your respective accounts within 3 to 5 days. Your love and support are priceless and we apologize in letting you down. It was our single goal to support Kalei in her efforts to start the much needed SSA club. However, we never expected our family and friends to be sought out and demonized. Please know that we recognize the importance of the club but we cannot justify our involvement with the risk of our families safety and well being,” it read.
While most atheists closely tracking the story assumed the incident ended there, they found it rather odd that Kalei called off her mission so abruptly despite having shown an incredible amount of courage in the past. After making a public records request on February 28, blogger Hemant Mehta acquired a copy of a letter sent by Kalei’s lawyer Patrick Smathers to FFRF and SSA.
According to Smathers, the school believes they did not restrict Kalei in any capacity from creating her proposed student group but it was Kalei, who did not want to follow the necessary protocols for forming a club at school. However, the letter did not end there. The letter elucidated Smathers’ concerns over Kalei’s father’s criminal past and tried to imply it was he who was responsible for the entire fiasco.
“It is my opinion [that the ACLU/FFRF's] allegations are without merit and baseless. In my opinion, the allegations arise from a manufactured controversy caused by [Mr. Wilson’s] influence on his children and a desire for publicity and potential financial gain. Further, that your respective organizations either unwittingly or willingly have participated in the same,” read Smathers’ letter.
Kalei backed out from what she was trying to achieve, if not because of the nasty text messages and serious threats that she was receiving all along, but for the sake of her father who she did not wish to be vilified for issues that had taken place eons ago.
FFRF released a statement to respond to Smathers’ letter.
“It is unfortunate that Haywood County School officials and Attorney Smathers seem to have retaliated against students for bringing forth valid complaints about their ability to form a secular club at their school. We are troubled by the report, which contains many factual errors and focuses on matters that are irrelevant to forming a student club. Persons or organizations who may have been defamed and/or retaliated against by the school system might need to consider legal recourse,” the statement read.
Kalei’s supporters have continued to stand up for her on another website because they believe her decision to initiate the formation of an atheist student society at school was not only brave but also very necessary. Together, they hope to report the culprits, who could be responsible for making such threats and harassing Kalei, to both school officials and the local police.
Photo Credits: Kalei Wilson
