Georgia —
A Wayne County (Ga.) School System teacher will no longer have a teacher leading students in prayer before mealtime after FFRF got involved.
A district employee reported that a Pre-K teacher at Screven Elementary Schools led students in a prayer every school day before lunch. FFRF learned that the teacher had been leading students in daily mealtime prayers for several years.
“The school environment is inherently ripe for coercion due to the power imbalance between staff and students,” FFRF Staff Attorney Sammi Lawrence wrote to the district. “Further, Pre-K students are quite literally a captive audience.”
After FFRF’s letter, the district’s legal representative, Cory O. Kirby, informed FFRF that the district would be taking action to realign with the Constitution.
“The superintendent intends to meet with all personnel to discuss issues related to the Establishment and Free Exercise Clause,” Kirby wrote. “The district is confident that all its schools make good faith efforts to fully comply with the requirements of the Constitution and protect the rights of all parties.”
