On Monday, school officials announced that a mental health presentation scheduled to be given by the head of a fundamentalist religious organization at a Michigan school has been cancelled. The presentation was set to be delivered by Scott Ritsema of Belt of Truth Ministries at Alpena Public School, but was cancelled due to illness. The talk, titled “The Media Mind: Reclaiming Your Human Soul from the Digital Dark Age,” was part of a series of discussions on student mental health planned for the month of May.
Despite concerns raised by some parents and residents in the district about a religious leader delivering a presentation in a public school setting, district officials had assured that the talk would be non-religious and focused on addressing the rising levels of anxiety and depression among students due to increased social media use. David Rabbideau, superintendent of schools, emphasized that the presentation was not religious in nature and was intended to provide support to students. Legal experts also noted that the free presentation, scheduled after school hours and not for credit, did not appear to violate federal laws regarding religious neutrality in public schools.
Belt of Truth Ministry’s website describes the organization as a faith-based community led by Ritsema, who started the ministry in 2013 with the goal of guiding others to Jesus. While some may have concerns about having a religious leader speak in a public school setting, it is important to remember that this particular presentation was intended solely for educational purposes and did not involve any attempt to promote religion or discrimination against any particular group or individual.