FFRF has resolved yet another issue in Florida’s Orange County Public Schools. The district, the 11th-largest in the country, is FFRF’s most-contacted school district.
This time, the district is ensuring that JROTC ceremonies at East River High School will not include prayer. The 2016 JROTC Awards and Change of Command Ceremony included an invocation listed on the agenda. Attendees were asked to bow their heads, although ROTC students were told in advance that a prayer would be given and if they did not believe in “God or Jesus” that they “just need to stand there and be silent.”
FFRF Staff Attorney Andrew Seidel sent a letter to the district’s two attorneys, pointing out that even in the context of a state military college with older students, a federal court “held that school officials may not compel students to participate in a religious activity.”
OCPS General Counsel and frequent FFRF correspondent Diego “Woody” Rodriguez responded on April 26, confirming that the prayer occurred and that there would be none at future programs.
