The United States Congress passed the Equal Access Act which guaranteed the students' Constitutional right to have "Religious" or Christian clubs on their public secondary school campuses. It was then signed into law by President Ronald Reagan.
In June of 1990, the United States Supreme Court upheld the Equal Access Act in a landmark decision handed down in Board of Education of Westside Community Schools vs. Mergens, (496 U.S. 226). This provided a vehicle for students to come together and meet at school, using the school facilities just like everyone else.
According to the American Center for Law and Justice, "the Supreme Court ruled that public secondary schools which recieve federal funds and allow non-curriculum related clubs to meet on campus must also allow 'religious clubs' (that is, Bible clubs, Prayer clubs, or any club involving religious speech) to meet on campus during non-instructional time. . . . In other words, the school must give the religious club official recognition on campus. If the school allows service clubs, such as Interact, BETA, 4-H, or clubs like a chess club, it must allow religious clubs. This is what a is meant by equal access".
