Student’s Christian Speech Leads to Controversy at Online School
A recent incident at Arkansas Connections Academy (ARCA) has raised concerns about religious expression in online education. On September 23, Zion Ramos, a junior, participated in a 30-minute social session on Zoom where students are generally free to express themselves, as long as their comments aren’t violent or vulgar.
During this session, Ramos shared a brief two-minute message inspired by a recent service by Charlie Kirk. He told his classmates, “I don’t know how much time we have. It’ll all be over one day… what we have is eternal.” However, his teacher, Kelsey Reid, muted him and removed him from the call. Reid later told Ramos that while she didn’t have an issue with his message, the manner in which he expressed it was problematic, suggesting he should use the chat feature instead.
First Liberty Institute, a legal organization focused on religious freedom, argues that students at ARCA often discuss a variety of topics without being muted, including current events and personal issues, which raises questions about the decision to mute Ramos.
In response to the incident, First Liberty has claimed that Ramos’s rights were violated and has formally requested that ARCA allow him to speak on faith during future social sessions, refrain from censoring religious expressions, and provide staff with training on religious freedom.
They also referenced a Supreme Court decision that underscores the need to protect religious speech in public schools. First Liberty attorney Kayla Tony stated, “School officials cannot silence students who share their faith with other students during social gatherings.” The group has given ARCA until October 10 to respond before pursuing legal action, and the matter has been brought to the attention of various state officials, including Arkansas Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders.
ARCA has communicated that they are taking the situation seriously and are committed to ensuring that all students feel welcome to express their views. They acknowledged the concerns raised by Ramos’s family and the broader community.
