Christian Prayers Could Land School Board in Court
The Freedom From Religion Foundation (FFRF) is calling on the Gateway Unified School Board to end public prayers before its board meetings — a policy enacted last month by the board’s new conservative majority.
FFRF says the prayers, which invoke the name of Jesus, violate the Establishment Clause of the U.S. Constitution.
“It is coercive, insensitive, and intimidating to force nonreligious citizens to choose between making a public showing of their nonbelief by refusing to participate in the prayer or else display deference toward a religious sentiment in which they do not believe, but which their school board members clearly do," the organization said in an open letter to the board.
FFRF cited several court cases to support its legal argument. These include a ruling against the Chino Valley Unified School District (CVUSD), which was ordered to cease public prayers and pay more than $200,000 in legal fees.
