Monday, February 15, 1999
Some schools reclaim 'church night'
Wednesdays often were off limits
BY ANDREA TORTORA
The Cincinnati Enquirer
Youngsters are so busy that a decades-old gentleman's agreement between their churches and schools may fall victim to modern-day secular activities.
Often called “dark Wednesdays” or “release Wednesdays,” the accord shortened practices and meant no games and even homework so students could go to church.
There, high school students participate in religious education, youth groups and services.
However, Fort Thomas coaches and teachers are asking for a reprieve.
They and others want to gradually abandon the Wednesday tradition embraced equally by Protestants and Catholics.
They want Wednesdays for their growing number of sports, academic clubs and extracurricular activities.
“Maybe we need an eight-day week,” said Principal George Frakes of Fort Thomas' Highlands High School.
In the Tristate, districts are flipping the switch on dark Wednesdays:
• New Richmond schools try to keep Wednesday evenings free in deference to the churches, but increased school activities are moving basketball into that Wednesday time slot.
• There is no districtwide policy to keep Wednesdays free in Princeton schools, but principals are sensitive to the needs of families, district spokeswoman Sharon Oakes said.
“Wednesdays are getting busier,” she said. “I'm looking at the February calendar of events and it's piled every day of the week because there are so many things going on.”
• Walton-Verona Superin tendent Robert Storer said Wednesday nights in his community are big church nights, so the school tries not to schedule major extracurricular events. “Sometimes there are no ways to prevent it,” he said.
The trend disturbs Jeff Bell, pastor at First Christian Church and president of the Fort Thomas Ministerial Association.
“Youth ministry provides a place ... where students can learn about who they are and how to build friendships,” he said. “They learn the meaning of love and how to forgive others. ... We believe these are values that are critical to forming healthy communities and healthy schools.”
Frankie Boreman, Fort Thomas teacher and volleyball coach, said it is difficult to balance and fulfill everyone's desires.
“We just don't have the time,” Ms. Boreman said. “It's impossible to be able to do it anymore. We're trying to accommodate everybody.”
Much the same is true in some other parts of the nation.
In Jackson, Miss., Wednesday evenings were off bounds for public schools until recently.
“Since we've added more sports and more girls' sports, getting them all scheduled is becoming harder if we skip Wednesdays,” Deputy Superintendent Ron Sellers said. “So now we try to do Wednesday afternoon events.”
A spokeswoman for the National Catholic Education Association in Washington, D.C., said she remembers “release Wednesdays” but did not know such practices still existed.
“It sounds like a very fine practice, something families can support to incorporate religious practices and a time for families,” spokeswoman Barbara Keebler said.
Dark Wednesdays help attendance at church functions. Rob Roy, youth minister at Highland Hills Baptist Church in Fort Thomas, said he plans events around the school calendar.
About 80 students attend the Wednesday meetings and Mr. Roy tries to make the youth group appealing enough that students will choose church over competing activities.
“I definitely think the way the schools and churches have agreed is a plus for us,” Mr. Roy said. “I would hate to see the schools change their policy because kids have to make so many choices in life. It's nice they don't have to choose now. If they did we would possibly lose some.”
Dark Wednesdays started when many school districts served large populations of the same religion, said Charles Haynes of Arlington, Va., a Freedom Forum expert on religious liberty issues in public education.
“To change academic assignments or the schedule of an activity that will affect all students is inherently unfair,” Mr. Haynes said.
On the other hand, it may not seem so unfair if so many students would choose church that an after-school activity on Wednesday would be poorly attended, he added.
Gale Gaines, spokeswoman for the Southern Regional Education Board in Atlanta, said she was not aware of state policies on the issue.
Renee Williams with the National School Board Association in Alexandria, Va., had no information on the practice because it is primarily handled on the local level.
In Fort Thomas, juniors Brian Tolle and Matt Wiley Jr. said they like knowing they have the time to attend youth group at Highland Hills Baptist Church.
When Brian played football, he would lift weights with the team until 6:30 p.m. and head to youth group at 7. “It's a good idea to have some time off for other things,” he said.
Said Matt: “It gives the kids a chance to get into church, to talk about spiritual things. Maybe some students will go to church more.”
It's not just teachers and coaches challenging the tradition. Some of those students who do not attend church events want to know why they can't practice or have games on Wednesday.
In Fort Thomas, officials struggle with squeezing in enough practices and games on a campus with limited gym and field space.
Teachers and coaches like Ms. Boreman say they don't want to completely fill a student's Wednesday with school-related activities. They just want the opportunity to schedule events that day if needed.
In the end, schools and churches will have to find the best way to serve young people's needs, Mr. Haynes of the Freedom Forum said.
“If Wednesday night is a family night at church, it makes sense for the school not to hold an activity,” he said. “But schools should be consistent. They should try to treat all community groups and religious and other organizations in the same way.”
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