FFRF has ensured that prayers will not be given during future mandatory faculty meetings in the Montgomery Independent School District in Texas. The school district had brought a Christian pastor to give a prayer at an Aug. 18 employee meeting, and the dean of academics also offered a prayer.
“Federal courts have held that mandatory meetings for government employees cannot promote religion,” FFRF Staff Attorney Sam Grover wrote. “This type of religious endorsement unfairly isolates non-Christian and nonreligious employees and could also be perceived as workplace harassment.”
A response from the superintendent on Sept. 8 said that the district “has addressed these incidents with the appropriate personnel and have taken steps to be proactive in training our administrative staff on the complexities inherent in protecting the constitutional principle of separation between church and state.”
