ACLU Threatens Legal Action Over Prayers at Mississippi School Events
Kimberly Paxton
www.TheDailySheeple.com
October 17th, 2012
Reader Views: 959
The American Civil Liberties Union in conjunction with the ACLU of Mississippi, sent a  letter Wednesday to the Lincoln County School District, demanding that that they put a stop stop having prayers and religious activities at games and other school-sponsored events.
The letter was sent via fax and first class mail. Â It reads:
Re: School-Sponsored Religious Activity at West Lincoln Attendance Center
Dear Superintendent Brister:
We write to express our deep concern regarding West Lincoln Attendance Center’s pervasive
policy and practice of incorporating prayer and other religious messages into myriad school events and
activities. This official practice violates the Establishment Clause of the First Amendment to the U.S.
Constitution, which prohibits the government from promoting religious beliefs or exercise.
The federal courts “have been particularly vigilant in monitoring compliance with the
Establislunent Clause” in the public-school context, I because “there are heightened concerns with
protecting freedom of conscience from subtle coercive pressure in the elementary and secondary
public schools.,,2 Accordingly, public schools may not include official prayer or other religious
exercise and messages in school events and activities]
Despite these longstanding and well-settled principles of law, the ACLU of Mississippi has
received information that West Lincoln students, faculty, and staff are routinely subj ected to official
prayer at numerous school events, including student awards ceremonies and banquets, school-day
assembli es, teacher meetings, holiday celebrations, sporting events, and graduation ceremonies. For
example, we understand that as recently as this month, school officials have opened football games with prayer. Last month, for instance, Principal Case participated in a prayer at the school ‘s homecoming pep rally. At many of these events, Principal Jason Case leads the prayer himself and, in his capacity as the coach for the cross-country team, he regularly leads students in pre-practice prayer.
Principal Case is well aware that these practices are unlawful but willfully continues to flout
the Constitution.
Indeed, we understand that he actively fosters a school atmosphere that isoverwhelmingly religious, from his interactions with teachers, staff, and students to the physicalenvironment in which students learn. In addition to leading students in prayer, he sermonizes during faculty meetings and issues memos with Bible citations, which he encourages faculty to look up, study, and follow. He repeatedly urges members of the school community to model themselves afterJesus, who he claims is ” the ultimate model of a servant.” Religious iconography permeates theschool, including crosses placed conspicuously on classroom doors and walls, the Christian flag, a large “prayer poster,” and a replica of the Ten Commandments.
Other school officials also promote religion and lead students in praye r, including football
coach Willie Brumfield (who often brandishes a Bible whi le walking around the school) and the
archery team coach. Another football coach, Luke Addison, has offered an invocation for several
years in a row during the school’s annual assembly in honor of Veterans Day. Additionally, the
Veterans Day assemblies have featured guest speakers who deliver religious remarks to students.
Further, we have learned that teachers and administrators incorporate official prayer into many classes
on a daily basis, including before meals and exams. These are just a few examples of West Lincoln’s
rampant promoti on and imposition of prayer, which plainly violates the constitutional rights of
students, parents, faculty, staff, and other members of the school community at West Lincoln
Attendance Center.
As the Supreme Court has explained, “[s)chool sponsorship of a religious message is
impermissible because it sends the ancillary message to … [the school community) who are
nonadherents that they are outsiders, not full members of the political community, and an
accompanying message to adherents that they are insiders, favored members of the political
community.”
To avoid further legal action regarding these religious practices, we thus request that the
District immediately take steps to ensure that school officials no longer incorporate prayer into school
events and otherwise cease impermissibly promoting reli gion to students, staff, and faculty. Please let
us know no later than October 26, 2012, how you plan to address these matters.
In addition, to further our investigation of these senous constitutional violations, please
provide the public records identified in the attached request no later than 7 business days from the
receipt of this letter. In the meantime, please do not hesitate to contact me if you would like to discuss
this letter or the public records request further.
Sincerely,
~~
Ms. Bear Atwood, Esq.
Legal Director
Superintendent Terry Brister said in response that religious activities are not allowed at public schools, and that he wants to investigate whether it is happening and to what extent before commenting further or responding to the ACLU’s accusations.
Delivered by The Daily Sheeple
Contributed by Kimberly Paxton of www.TheDailySheeple.com.
Kimberly Paxton, a staff writer for the Daily Sheeple, is based out of upstate New York.
This content may be freely reproduced in full or in part in digital form with full attribution to the author and a link to www.TheDailySheeple.com.
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If that was my school district, I’d show up in the principal’s office and demand that, as a Buddhist, and in the interest of religious liberty, I expected him to allow a bunch of Hare Krishnas to chant every morning over the loudspeaker–and then sue the crap out of the school when the principal went berserk.
Sharonsj, you are an idiot.
How many west Lincoln students have blown up stuff with bombs are showed up with guns shooting people are things along those lines .. Answer 0, how many of your non prayer schools have .. I don’t even know that number but its a high one .. ACLU !! Take your bull somewhere else .. We ain’t putting up with it down here. That truly is the problem .. Taking prayer outta schools and so far the results have spoken for themselves .. More violence, more disrespect from kids with sassy attitudes. It’s tragic ya ll think this is a good thing to do when obviously it is not !! We should be able at the very least to vote as a study body weather or not we want it in our school and majority rules .. And west Lincoln wants prayer in our school !!! So ACLU scram, beat it . We don’t want nor need you poking your nose in our business .. You ll find out real quick that’s a big no no !
I totally agree, we arent starting anything with anyone… we arent harming anyone! but its kinda funny to me that when we got nominated as a NATIONAL BLUE RIBBON SCHOOL the news crew didnt even come nor were we in the newspaper but if we pray then EVERYONE shows up!!!
And Sharonsj, I don’t go to your country and say your chanting is offensive so don’t come to mine telling me my praying is offensive .. I’m not going respect your freedom of speech if it means losing mine, I’m sick of people just accepting things that are wrong cause it may hurt your feelings. I’m not here to roll over and bow down .. I’m here to stand up for my religious freedoms and no ACLU or anyone is going take them. The very thing the ACLU is suppose to protect its trying to destroy .. Now my civil liberties are in jeopardy due to this !!
Vote as a student body I meant earlier . Auto spell on my phone messed that up along with the two times “are” was used instead of “or” in the first comment.
This stuff still goes on??!?!? Wow. I happen to be an open minded Christian. I am not at all offended by prayer, but I am very disturbed that he is accused of promoting HIS own religious beliefs to students and faculty. Not only is this illegal, it is wrong to preech your religion as truth to young children in a public school!! . If my child went here, I would be livid!! We teach her what WE believe as Christians and I would not want her to be exposed to conflicting beliefs daily.
This is not a private school. Why can’t he go teach at a private school? Then no worries for him. I hate when people think their religion is the only way. Intolerance of others beliefs in itself is non-Christian!! And what about the children of non-Christian religions who attend this school. To think of them being exposed to this at a public school is appalling.
What’s appalling, is that you call yourself a Christian. No one is forcing any beliefs on to anyone
My freedom of speech is threatened and I mean this country was founded on god .. Every penny I have literally says and I quote “in god we trust” so give me your money” since it offends you
Lets change the money, lets reshape the country cause the top part looks like praying hands .. Lets just just mess it up as much as we possibly can to please a few people like you sir. Majority should rule and there should be a vote. And if this truly is the christain founded country that it is suppose to be we will win that decision and you can go on to complain about something else that makes no sense or conflicts with my rights and freedoms
They are simply saying simple prayers such as ” god be with us and keep us safe as we journey from and to school and pray for little Susie who s out sick today, or we thank you that none of our football players were injuried in last weeks game .. Watch over our team and keep them safe …. That’s it … That’s all they are doing .., no forcing beliefs … If that there what I just said they do offends you ,than your no Christian at all and you are off your rocker to get offended by such …