Some parents of three elementary schools in Casey County, Kentucky expressed some concerns after witnessing members of Tri-State Freethinkers, an atheist group, distributing free books and other literature on elementary school campuses. These are texts mostly regarding secularism.
Tri-State Freethinkers were able to get in touch with school administrators and argued that since the school allowed Gideon International and other Christian groups to distribute Bibles and Gospel tracts at their schools, atheists should also be allowed to give out their own literature to students. In the end, they managed to set up book displays at three elementary schools.
Members of the group were not allowed to enter campus while school was in session and had to dismantle their tables and displays once school ended. However, the group followed similar rules to Gideon International. The texts they had on display for the students included Humanism, What's That?: A Book for Curious Kids.
One mother told WKYT TV, a local television news station expressed that she is even considering keeping her kids at home on Fridays to prevent them from coming into contact with Tri-State Freethinkers. However, many parents realized that it will be very difficult to prevent all contact with the atheist displays.
Boyd Harris, the principal of Liberty Elementary did admit that school attendance was relatively lower on Fridays, and expressed the possibility of a connection with the presence of members of Tri-State Freethinkers. Recently, other atheist groups have been making efforts to distribute literature on school campuses as long as Christian and Evangelical groups.
