HAZLETON - At the Hazleton Area school board's October meeting, a 15-year-old boy asked for permission to meet with other students after school in the high school library to study the Bible.
He was followed by another 15-year-old boy who asked the board to approve the request.
The students - D.J. Galade, a previous Hazleton Area student who is now primarily home-schooled but also attends Hazleton Area Career Center to study broadcast communications, and Brandon Watt, a ninth-grader in the district - said their Bible study group would be an open forum where students could gather to read and discuss scripture.
After a review of the proposal, district solicitor Chris Slusser advised the board to approve the students' request under the federal Equal Access Act. The act, which became law in 1984, was lobbied for by religious groups that wanted to ensure students' rights to conduct Bible study programs during lunch and after school.
Under the law, any school that receives federal aid and has at least one student-led non-curriculum club that meets outside of class time must allow other such clubs to form and give them all equal access to meeting spaces and school publications. The law allows schools to deny formation of any club that would "materially and substantially interfere with the orderly conduct of educational activities within the school."
On the solicitor's recommendation, the board unanimously approved the request.
"It would be an opportunity for students to discuss their beliefs and hold discussions on their views," Galade told the board before the vote.
"In today's society, we are surrounded by negativity," he said. "This group would give students the opportunity to be exposed to something positive that they might not otherwise be exposed to in today's society."
The group held its first meeting after school Wednesday in the high school library.
According to Galade, news of the club was spread by word of mouth.
"Apparently, it worked," he said, gesturing toward the 17 students who gathered.
The board appointed Christopher Peiser, broadcast communications instructor at the career center, to supervise the group.
Peiser said Galade approached him one day and asked if he would serve as volunteer adult supervisor for the group if the school board gave it permission to form.
"I said I would love to, but I told them they really need to take charge of this," Peiser said.
Galade and Watt took charge, meeting with high school Principal Rocco Petrone to ask for permission and guidance. They spoke to Superintendent Francis X. Antonelli and they attended a school board meeting to voice their request.
Antonelli said he found the students' request "refreshing."
"If you listened to the young men who got up that evening (when Galade and Watt addressed the school board), they were articulate, they were respectful, they have a firm conviction in their beliefs," the superintendent said.
First meeting
The group's first meeting was casual. Those gathered introduced themselves, socialized and talked about how to structure the meetings.
Galade said he envisions fellowship followed by scripture reading and discussion. He said the scripture reading would be "more interactive, a discussion, almost like a debate."
Galade and Watt, who both live in Drums, became friends when they met at Faith Assembly of God in Hazle Township. As their friendship and faith developed, Galade said he and Watt both felt a desire to start a teen Bible study at school.
"We prayed about it. We approached Mr. Peiser. We talked to Mr. Petrone and Dr. Antonelli. Then we went before the school board, and here we are," Galade said.
Watt, his sister, Brittany, and parents, Alan and Lynn Watt, moved to Drums from Arizona about a year and a half ago. In Arizona, he said his family worshipped at a "mega church," which had a congregation of more than 2,000 people at every weekend service.
"It was about God on Sundays and that was about it," Watt said. "But when I moved here, I met some people who live it every day, not just on Sunday."
After graduating high school, Watt hopes to become a Marine.
Galade said his drive to study the Bible with his school peers is a spiritual provision. He said his boldness comes "from the Holy Spirit."
"We can do nothing on our own," he said.
The teens said the study group is open to any student who is curious about Christianity and the Bible.
"Definitely come. Everyone is welcome," Galade said.
"In a lot of the ways religion is taught, it's a bunch of do's and don'ts. But the Gospel is really about hope, it's about forgiveness," Galade said. "This isn't about religion. This is about having a relationship with God. It's about coming and finding out why it's true and how it matters."
Galade, a son of Donald and Cheryl Galade, Drums, has two siblings, Sarah, 13, and Jacob, 11.
After high school, Galade said he hopes one day to pastor a church.
The student Bible study group plans to meet from 2:45 to 4 p.m. every other Wednesday in the high school library, The next meeting is scheduled for Nov. 28.