Oregon High School Bars Church Official Volunteer

A church youth counselor has been asked to stop volunteering at an Oregon high school after he allegedly discussed religion and Jesus during the students' lunchtime.

Tim Saffeels, director of student ministries at Salem Heights Church in Salem, Oregon, had been volunteering as a mentor at Straub Middle School when a student complained that Saffeels began discussing religion with students during lunchtime, and even ridiculed her for being an atheist.

Saffeels was reportedly volunteering at the school to monitor children during lunchtime, and refutes the claims that he pushed his religious opinion on the students. Rather, the youth minister said he was asked by a student during his volunteer time about Jesus, and Saffeels gave his personal opinion. The volunteer also says that any claims that he denounced atheism are also untrue.

Although the youth minister has denied the claims, Laura Perez, principal of Straub Middle School, said she will not allow Saffeels back for the remainder of the school year. "I decided that I'm not going to allow him in because to me there was a breach of trust there," Perez said, according to the Statesman Journal.

According to the Associated Press, Perez added that the school's policy prohibits the "promotion or inhibition of religion in any form […]." If students do ask a volunteer about religious subjects, the volunteer should reportedly refer them to someone who is more suited to talk about the topic, like a pastor at their local church.