After receiving a complaint letter from FFRF, the Okaloosa County School Board in Florida in May 2015 ended the practice of opening with a prayer and went to a moment of silence instead. However, on Jan. 11, the board opted to resume prayer before meetings, according to the Northwest Florida Daily News.
“The resolution is put together by following court cases and research on other resolutions,” said board attorney Jeff McInnis. “It’s not a resolution that will advance a particular religion over another.”
The Daily News writes, “Before coming to a conclusion, Dr. Lamar White and Melissa Thrush, the two opposing votes, again voiced their concerns for the resolution, insisting that a moment of silence was the best course of action.”
“For me, this vote is not about my personal needs,” Thrush said. “This vote is about . . . an added burden to the superintendent and school board staff and the need to establish a budget to effectively address this resolution. This resolution potentially exposes us to future lawsuits.”
