On Monday, school officials in Alpena, Michigan announced that a mental health presentation by the head of a fundamentalist religious organization at their school has been cancelled. Scott Ritsema of Belt of Truth Ministries was set to deliver a talk titled “The Media Mind: Reclaiming Your Human Soul from the Digital Dark Age” as part of a series on student mental health for the month of May. However, Ritsema fell ill and was unable to attend the event.
District spokesperson Lee Fitzpatrick confirmed that there is currently no rescheduled date for the presentation. While some parents and residents in the district had expressed concerns about a religious leader delivering a talk in a public school setting, district officials had assured that the presentation would be non-religious and focused on addressing the growing levels of anxiety and depression among students due to increased social media use.
Superintendent David Rabbideau emphasized that the presentation was not religious in nature and was intended to provide support to students. Legal experts also noted that the free presentation, scheduled after school hours and not for credit, did not seem to violate federal laws regarding religious neutrality in public schools. Belt of Truth Ministry’s website describes the organization as a faith-based community led by Ritsema, who started the ministry in 2013 with the goal of guiding others towards Jesus.
