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Tonganoxie pastor says church was denied temporary use of school room; board to form policy committee
Summary
At the Jan. 13 Tonganoxie Unified School District board meeting, Pastor Matthew Wilke said the district denied his church’s request to use a PD room for worship during building renovations. Superintendent Lauren said the denial followed legal counsel’s recommendation, and board members agreed to convene a committee to review facility-use policy.
Pastor Matthew Wilke told the Tonganoxie Unified School District board at its Jan. 13 regular meeting that Tonganoxie United Methodist Church was denied temporary use of the district’s PD room for Sunday worship services while the church building is renovated to meet the Americans with Disabilities Act requirements.
Wilke, who also identified himself as president of the Tonganoxie ministerial alliance, said the church’s facility-use request complied with the district’s facility-use agreement and accused district leadership of inconsistent application of that policy. “Guideline 2 clearly states that the district does not discriminate on the base of race, color, national origin, ancestry, religion, or otherwise,” Wilke said. He also cited guideline 8, saying the renter is financially responsible for any liability.
The matter matters because access to public school facilities can implicate anti‑discrimination rules and local facility‑use policy. Wilke urged the board to either grant the church the temporary access or revise policy transparently with community partners so the superintendent can apply it consistently.
Superintendent Lauren told the board the denial was made “based on our lawyer’s recommendation” and that the district’s lawyers were reviewing the facility‑use request form. “I was following legal advice, pure and simple,” she said. Board discussion referenced advice from the district’s attorneys and a separate Kansas policy on public use; one board member said schools that allow religious groups commonly do so contrary to that legal advice.
Board members discussed forming an internal committee to draft possible policy language and review the facility‑use form. A board speaker suggested internal work by the board and superintendent on updated verbiage rather than a large public working group; other members said they would join a committee. The board did not take a formal vote on a policy change at the meeting; members directed those interested in participating to contact Superintendent Lauren so the committee could be convened and begin work.
The superintendent said she and legal counsel would continue reviewing the facility‑use form and would share recommendations with the board; no final policy action or timeline was set at the meeting.
