Legal Rights in Action - Decision Point

Your Legal Rights in Action

Your Step-By-Step Guide to Communicating with your School Admin

Do you want to host an outreach event?

Do you want to start a Christian club?

Past students have told us that they wished they didn't wait for school administration to respond, but knew how to take proactive steps to get requests approved quickly.

That’s why we’ve created this step-by-step guide for you.

Save time and take advantage of our email templates that have proven successful for effectively getting quicker responses and approvals.

As Student Leaders, never forget that you represent Christ, and part of that includes the way you interact with school leaders. Don’t forget that God goes before you—and He works in ways we could never imagine. Trust in Him to do His work through you and your club. And also know that we’re praying for you.

Steps to Take If Admin Does Not Respond

In between each step, you don't have to wait longer than two business days to take the next step. Remember: You aren't alone! Your teacher advisor is a great support in this, so reach out to them!

1. Submit Event or New Club Request

It's great if your Teacher Advisor can submit on your behalf while cc'ing you on it. It's also fine if you submit it on your own. Either way, make sure to save a copy of your request, including the date and time you sent it, who it was sent to, and the request info.

If you're launching a Christian club: to speed up the process for club approval, you can go directly to your school office to retrieve paperwork to get your club approved. Or you can use the email template to send to your school admin for more information.

**if no response after two business days, go to step 2**

SAMPLE EVENT REQUEST

SAMPLE EMAIL TO GET CLUB APPROVED

2. Send Follow-Up Email

**only complete this step if no response after two business days after completing step 1**

Sending a follow-up email is a courteous way of checking in on the status of your request while reminding admin that your request has not been completed yet.

Ask for a response to the facility request submitted a couple of days ago
CC your parent and your coach
As always, save a copy of your email!
We also recommend going in person to follow up on the request, in addition to sending an email. Be sure to record information for this visit for future reference, such as date and time, who you talked to, what they said, etc.

**if no response after two business days, go to step 3**

SAMPLE EMAIL

3. Have Your Parent Send a Follow-Up Email to Admin

**only complete this step if no response after two business days after completing step 2**

A great step your parent can take to support you in this is to contact your administrator themself to inquire why your request has not been answered or approved. In some cases, your admin may just be busy and haven't had the opportunity to respond to your request.

Have your parent request for admin to respond (if they’re ignoring the request)
Have your parent ask for admin to approve (if they need a polite nudge)
Make sure your parent saves a copy of the email!

**if no response after two business days, go to step 4**

4. Contact a Pacific Justice Institute Attorney For Legal Representation

**only complete this step if no response afer two business days after completing step 3**

If the school is deliberately ignoring your request or denying your rights, have your coach or another Decision Point staff contact the Pacific Justice Institute (PJI) attorney in your region.

Give a summary of the situation
Provide information of all attempts to contact school admin
Request the attorney to draft a letter to admin on behalf of the students
Provide names and contact information of school admin to send letter to
CC teacher advisor, student leaders, and parents on the letter
Save a copy of the letter and contents that were sent

SAMPLE LETTER

ALL EMAIL TEMPLATES

Steps to Take If Your Request is Denied

If at any point in the steps above your request is denied, follow the steps below:

1. Send Follow-Up Email

Any time a school administrator denies a student request, you as the student have a right to request the reason behind the decision.

Ask for a copy of the written policies on student requests — check to understand whether the reason for denial is founded
Share the Legal Rights PDFs to inform them of the rights you have
CC your parents and your coach
Save a copy of your email

SAMPLE EMAIL

2. Have Your Parent Send an Email to Admin

If the school will not reverse their decision, have your parent step in to advocate.

Have your parent request a meeting with the school principal
Save a copy of your email

SAMPLE EMAIL

3. Contact Pacific Justice Institute Attorney for Legal Representation

If the school continues to deny your rights, have your coach or another Decision Point staff contact the Pacific Justice Institute attorney in your region.

Give a summary of the situation
Provide information of all attempts to contact school admin
Request the attorney to draft a letter to admin on behalf of the students
Provide names and contact information of school admin to send letter to
CC teacher advisor, student leaders, and parents on the letter
Save a copy of the letter and contents that were sent

SAMPLE EMAIL

GUIDE TO USING LEGAL RIGHTS DOCS

Resources

All Email Templates

Access all email templates from this webpage in one file.

All Email Templates

Pacific Justice Institute Resources

Get email templates, resources, and find a Pacific Justice Institute (PJI) attorney near you.

PJI Resources

Legal Rights Guide

Download the guide to learn about your legal rights to share the gospel on your campus.

Legal Rights Guide

Using Legal Rights Documents

Learn more about three key legal rights documents you can use.

Legal Rights Docs

Legal Rights Homepage

Get more detailed information on your legal rights.

Legal Rights Homepage