The Jefferson County School District in Alabama has agreed to stop broadcasting a Christian prayer over the PA system at the start of school-sponsored football games and events after a parent complained to a national nonprofit that works to promote the separation of church and state.
The parent wrote to the Freedom From Religion Foundation in September to say that their child felt uncomfortable when schools in the district played a Christian prayer over the loudspeaker because he didn’t know whether to stand with the other students and pretend to be Christian or remain seated and risk scrutiny from his peers, Chris Line, a staff attorney with the foundation, told McClatchy News.
“Not only is the district endorsing these prayers by allotting time for them at the start of games, but it is also providing the prayer-giver with the public address system needed to impose these prayers on all students and community members at games,” Line wrote.
The foundation sent a letter to the school district in September and received a response in March saying that the superintendent had met with principals and agreed to no longer play prayers at school-sponsored events, Line said.
2000 U.S. Supreme Court ruling:
