Young Life will stay on campus

Gary Moskowitz

BURBANK -- A religious youth group will remain on campus at Burbank

High School, despite pleas from two students to have the club removed.

Alexis Sheehy, director of secondary education for the Burbank Unified

School District, has been investigating the local chapter of the

nonprofit, Christian group Young Life since an official complaint was

made to the school board in December.

“I have not found any basis to support allegations of wrongdoing by

the club at Burbank High School,” Sheehy said. “The club is operating

according to school rules, state law and equal access guidelines.”

Sheehy said in her investigation that she spoke to local Young Life

representatives and school officials, and worked with an attorney to

conduct interviews of students and parents.

Jenna Wilcox, who with her brother, Andy, initially spoke to the

school board about concerns with Young Life. Their complaints about Young

Life were that the group was allegedly recruiting members for Emmanuel

Free Evangelical Church -- the local sponsor of Young Life -- and that

group members were discriminating against Catholic and Jewish students.

Jenna Wilcox said she plans to send a letter regarding the matter to

the American Civil Liberties Union next week.

“I’m appalled and past frustration with this now. We wanted to

compromise and just have a regular Christian club, but they won’t do

that,” Jenna Wilcox said.

The Wilcoxes’ mother, Denise -- a former Burbank Unified school board

member -- said the district’s decision to allow Young Life to stay on

Burbank High’s campus is setting a bad precedent.

“Instead of unifying kids and encouraging dialogue, they’ve now

isolated them. We are thoroughly disappointed,” Denise Wilcox said. “The

school district has decided that they will allow churches to establish

clubs on Burbank High’s campus.”

Sheehy sent a memo regarding her findings to school board members this

week.