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Broward Schools Superintendent Pledges Public Funds for Pentecostal Banners Amid Religious Discrimination Allegations

Timothy “Chaz” Stevens being interviewed by WPLGs Andrew Perez on January 14, 2024. {WPLG}

The Broward County School Board is under fire for alleged religious discrimination and favoritism after a public records request revealed inconsistencies in its treatment of religious advertising banners.

While the Board forbade one religious banner, it offered to pay for another, sparking controversy.

The district’s handling of religious advertising is at the center of the dispute. Superintendent Howard Hepburn recently decided to use public funds to reimburse the Pentecostals of Cooper City for a banner previously displayed on school campuses.

The dispute began in 2023 when the Pentecostals entered a “Gold Level” sponsorship agreement with the school, allowing them to display banners on campus. Although the Board’s advertising policy prohibits religious messaging, the banners remained in place for eight months.

In December 2023, the banners were removed after political activist Timothy “Chaz” Stevens, nationally recognized for his satirical advocacy of the separation of church and state, requested to display a similar banner for his “Church of Satanology.”

“The School Board’s policy explicitly prohibits religious banners on school property, yet the Pentecostals were allowed to display banners for eight months,” he said.

He added that their removal in December 2023 occurred only after he submitted a request to post a banner promoting the Church of Satanology.

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Pentecostals’ banner at Cooper City High School {Chaz Stevens}

“Rather than addressing my inquiry equitably, the Board mischaracterized my request as a “complaint,” using it as a pretext to remove the Pentecostals’ banners while taking no steps to accommodate mine.”

As a pro se plaintiff, Stevens has filed a legal complaint accusing the School Board of systemic bias, constitutional violations, and preferential treatment for Christian organizations. He cited landmark U.S. Supreme Court cases, including Kennedy v. Bremerton School District (2022), asserting that the Board’s actions amounted to viewpoint discrimination.

The complaint filed in September 2024 alleges school officials denied his efforts to display his banners at various schools, including Marjory Stoneman Douglas, Westglades Middle, and Coral Springs High School —- where religious banners were displayed.

Stevens, who is running for mayor of Deerfield Beach, called this a clear violation of the First Amendment’s Establishment Clause, which requires government neutrality toward religion.

“The Board’s willingness to accommodate Christian organizations while denying my legitimate request demonstrates systemic hostility toward minority religious viewpoints,” said Stevens in a letter to the Board’s legal counsel.

Adding to the legal battle, Liberty Counsel, a nonprofit organization specializing in First Amendment rights for evangelical Christian values, represents Cooper City’s Pentecostals.

In an April 2024 letter, the organization demanded the reinstatement of the church’s banners and criticized the Board’s actions as unconstitutional. They pointed to state and federal laws prohibiting discrimination based on religious viewpoint.

BCPS Superintendent Howard Hepburn responded in July 2024, acknowledging the premature removal of the Pentecostals’ banners and announcing plans to revise its policies. The Board pledged to separate sponsorships from advertising guidelines to clarify its stance moving forward.

Additionally, he said the district would cover the costs of creating a new banner for the Pentecostals and display it for an entire year once the updated policies were finalized.

“It’s ironic. Isn’t it? A school superintendent using public money to reimburse the Pentecostals while denying my banner request. Satanology’s mission is to ensure equal representation for all beliefs, yet here we are watching favoritism unfold in broad daylight.”

Stevens added that if Hepburn felt so strongly about funding banners, maybe he should write a personal check.

“Public funds aren’t meant to serve one religion over another. It’s not just unfair—it’s a direct attack on the principles of religious plurality and fairness Satanology stands for.”

As of November 2024, the Pentecostal banners had not been restored, prompting Liberty Counsel to threaten further legal action.

Both Stevens and Liberty Counsel have called for immediate corrective action. Stevens seeks equitable treatment for minority religious organizations, while Liberty Counsel demands that the Board fully reinstate the Pentecostals’ sponsorship rights.

Liberty Counsel wrote in a letter to the district: “If we do not receive the requested response, we will understand that the District is unwilling to resolve this matter without further proceedings by Liberty Counsel, and we will proceed accordingly without further notice.”

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Editor of Talk Media and writer for Coral Springs Talk. CST was created in 2012 to provide News, Views, and Entertainment for the residents of Coral Springs and the rest of South Florida.