One school board member in Prosser, Washington, suggested opening meetings with prayer — but a handful of students, as well as an atheist advocacy group, were none too pleased with the idea.
Last week, Frank Vermulm, a member of the Prosser School Board, brought up the prospect of opening meetings with prayer, according to the Tri-City Herald. He suggested he or a pastor deliver an invocation, because the community has “a lot of issues” and could “use some divine intervention.”
“I just think, with some of the issues that we have,” he said, “it would be very helpful.”
While some board members agreed with Vermulm’s suggestion, others dissented. It was the school board’s student representatives, in particular, who disagreed with the proposal.
“I don’t think that religion should be brought up in schools at all,” said Yoshimi Garcia, who described herself as an atheist and argued such invocations would be disrespectful to those who hold different religious beliefs. “I don’t think that should happen.”
Noah Dempsey, another student representative, added, “I would tend to agree. I think that that should be something that’s excluded. I mean, there’s already enough controversy when it comes to saying the Pledge of Allegiance. Why bring more controversy into something that doesn’t need it?”
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The atheist group the Freedom From Religion Foundation also set its sights on the Prosser School Board.
Annie Laurie Gaylor, co-president of the Wisconsin-based organization, said, “Our public schools are paid for by anybody and everybody, including those with no religion,” adding that opening meetings with prayer sends a “disrespectful signal” toward students.
She warned the FFRF would consider a lawsuit if the school board moves forward with the prayer idea.
“We hope that the students’ perspective has caused the board to permanently reconsider its unlawful prayer plan,” she said. “School board members are free to pray on their own time and dime, but should not misuse their civil authority to impose prayer on others.”
The FFRF first reached out to the Prosser School Board on Jan. 25 with a letter from staff attorney Chris Line, who argued the U.S. Supreme Court has routinely struck down instances of prayer at school-sanctioned events because it constitutes “government favoritism towards religion.”
It should be noted, however, that Washington state high school football coach Joe Kennedy won his case with the high court in 2022. After a seven-year legal battle, the coach was victorious when the justices ruled he had the constitutionally protected right to pray on the field.
Gaylor called Kennedy’s claim that he prayed alone at the 50-yard-line “phony” and “dishonest.”
Prosser School District Superintended Kim Casey offered a brief response to the FFRF: “We are in receipt of your letter. We have not taken any action on this matter; it was strictly a discussion.”
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