Discussion on mental health at school by the leader of the ministry has been canceled due to illness

A presentation on mental health by the head of a fundamentalist religious organization at a Michigan school has been canceled, school officials said Monday.

Alpena Public School officials said Scott Ritsema of Belt of Truth Ministries canceled his trip to the school district Tuesday because he is sick.

Ritsema was asked by the district to present his lecture, “The Media Mind: Reclaiming Your Human Soul from the Digital Dark Age,” as part of a series of discussions on student mental health for the month of May.

Lee Fitzpatrick, district spokesman, said there was no new date for the event.

“Not at this time. We are almost at the end of the school year,” Fitzpatrick said via email.

Some parents and residents of the district expressed concern about the presentation by a religious leader.

District officials had defended the lecture, promising that it would be non-religious and essential for addressing the increased anxiety and depression students are experiencing as they become more dependent on social media use.

“This is not a religious presentation in any way,” Superintendent of Schools David Rabbideau told The News last week.

Legal experts said the free presentation, which was to be given after school, was not an honorary ceremony, a gathering or a graduation ceremony, and did not appear to violate federal laws requiring schools to maintain religious neutrality and inclusivity within a public educational institution. environment.

The Belt of Truth Ministry website describes itself as “a foundational, Bible-believing, faith-based community.” The site states that Ritsema began his ministry in 2013, based in the Montcalm County community of Lakeview, “to lead others to Jesus – not as a career, but as a calling.”

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