Freedom From Religion Foundation

Ohio high school under fire for postgame prayer after playoff win

East Knox high school apparently celebrated recent playoff victories with an on field prayer featuring the team’s coach. That drew attention from the Freedom from Religion Foundation.

A high school in Ohio finds itself under fire after coaches and players combined for a postgame prayer session, eventually attracting the attention of the Freedom from Religion Foundation (FFRF).

As reported by the Richland Source, East Knox High School has been asked by the FFRF to investigate claims that East Knox head coach Cody Rees helped lead his team in prayer after winning the Ohio Division VI Region 22 championship game against Cary (Ohio) High School.

“A concerned district parent contacted FFRF to report that the football coaches at East Knox High School, including head coach Cody Reese, are participating in prayer circles with their students during football games …” read a letter, obtained by Knox Pages. “It is illegal for public school athletic coaches to lead their teams in prayer. The Supreme Court has continually struck down school-sponsored prayer in public schools.”

If found to have violated the code in question, East Knox could land itself in legal hot water. While the FFRF’s appeal for a formal investigation is likely just posturing to force East Knox to cease and desist, it didn’t have the desired impact at the first question of asking; despite the letter being postmarked and emailed to school officials on November 27, it didn’t stop the coaches from leading another post-victory prayer on Friday after the team fell to New Middletown Springfield in the state semifinals.

Now the spotlight is on when East Knox heads back to the field next fall.

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Alabama high school comes to grips with end of pregame loudspeaker prayer

The end of a long-held tradition of pregame prayer at Opelika High School in Alabama has sparked debate, much like at two other Alabama schools in the past two seasons.

A high school football program in Alabama is still coming to grips with the end of pregame prayer over the loudspeaker after an early season complaint filed by the Freedom From Religion Foundation (FFRF) brought an alleged longstanding high school tradition to an end.

As reported by The Auburn Plainsman, the Opelika (Ala.) High School football team officially ended its organized pregame prayer over the stadium loudspeaker in mid-September after receiving a complaint from the FFRF after the team’s home opener in late August. In addition to the complaint about the pregame loudspeaker prayer, which was initially brought to the FFRF by a concerned Opelika parent, the organization also noted allegations of coaches praying with student athletes during practices and games.

Coaches praying with athletes is considered an illegal violation of the separation of church and state because the coaches are technically public employees leading an act of organized religious worship, a Constitutional violation.

While the reciting of the Lord’s Prayer over the loudspeaker during pregame festivities was brought to an end by the FFRF complaint, players have reportedly continued to pray on their own before games. That is perfectly legal so long as coaches or other school officials are not involved.

The Opelika High School prayer case divided local opinion, but it was hardly the first to hit an Alabama high school. Similar cases were reported to the FFRF in 2017 and 2018, leading to warnings sent to Hewitt-Trussville and Hayden High Schools. Both schools ceased established pregame prayer traditions, though Hayden football players responded to the end of that practice by entering the field with “In God We Trust” signs at their next home football game.

Freedom From Religion Foundation targets Missouri high school for pre, postgame prayer

The not for profit Freedom From Religion Foundation has targeted Cameron High School in Missouri for allegedly featuring coach-led pre and postgame prayer sessions on the field.

The not-for-profit Freedom From Religion Foundation has trained its sights on Cameron (Mo.) High School, where, “Coaches have reportedly been holding religious chapel services for players before and after games, where coaches pray with players and read and discuss bible verses.”

If true, such behavior is banned by constitutional separation of church and state, with Cameron head coach Jeff Wallace and assistant coach David Stucky both at risk of potential legal action if they continue leading their team in prayer. The team’s practice of postgame prayer led by coaches at the 50 yard line could be a particularly damaging twist against Wallace and Stucky.

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Missouri CBS affiliate KCTV spoke to the parent of a Cameron player and multiple fans at a recent game to survey whether they thought the Cameron players and coaches should be punished in some way for pre and postgame prayer.

Perhaps unsurprisingly, the answer was overwhelmingly that parents feel players should be allowed to pray, even if that runs in the face of separation of church and state.

“If it were a situation where a coach or even another student said, ‘Get over here and pray,’ and that kid didn’t want to be a part of it, I understand,” Jeff Speer, the father of two Cameron players, told KCTV, “but they all want to be a part of it.

“(The Freedom From Religion Foundation complaint is) a very distracting thing that every single coach, football, player, fan — we all have to deal with.”

It is unknown when the Freedom From Religion Foundation will demand Cameron cease its practice of pre and postgame led prayer. Given past precedent, the request may well come sooner rather than later.