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FFRF stops school board prayer in Pa. district (March 12, 2021)

A Pennsylvania public school district has discontinued injecting religion into each school board meeting due to intervention by FFRF.

A concerned Montrose Area School District community member alerted FFRF that the school board had a practice of opening every meeting with a recitation of the Lordā€™s Prayer following the Pledge of Allegiance. Additionally, all nine members of the board were reportedly participating in reciting this Christian prayer, during which students were sometimes present.

FFRF sent a letter to Superintendent Christopher McComb, alerting the district to the unconstitutionality of beginning official district meetings with prayer, especially when students are present.

ā€œStudents and parents have the right ā€” and often have reason ā€” to participate in school board meetings,ā€ FFRF Staff Attorney Madeline Ziegler wrote. ā€œIt is coercive, embarrassing and intimidating for nonreligious citizens to be required to make a public showing of their nonbelief or else to display deference toward a religious sentiment in which they do not believe, but which their school board members clearly do.ā€

FFRF requested the district respect the First Amendment by refraining from scheduling prayers at official board meetings ā€” and its plea had the desired effect. McComb informed FFRF via email that ā€œthis practice has ceased and will no longer continue.ā€

Freedom From Religion Foundation