TERRE HAUTE — As the result of a complaint from the Freedom from Religion Foundation, Vigo County School Corp. teachers and other staff will no longer be able to lead prayers during school-sponsored events.
The complaint, dated May 30, was sent to Superintendent Dan Tanoos after a teacher led a prayer to start an end-of-year awards banquet at a Vigo County school.
A family member whose child attends the school complained to the Freedom from Religion Foundation (FFRF), which, in turn, sent a letter to Tanoos in reference to the “illegal prayer” at the school.
FFRF is a nonprofit organization that aims “to protect the constitutional principle of the separation between church and state,” according to the letter written by Sam Grover, FFRF staff attorney. The organization is based in Madison, Wis.
Tanoos referred the letter to Charles Rubright, an attorney with Bose, McKinney and Evans in Indianapolis. As a result, “The school corporation has informed each building principal that teacher-led prayer with students present will cease, as it is prohibited by the Constitution and should not be allowed,” according to a response from Rubright to Grover.
When asked about the complaint, Tanoos said Tuesday, “I will continue to allow student-led prayer when they [students] choose to do so.”
Tanoos said while he understands the concern of FFRF, “I don’t fully agree with it.” While he has allowed teacher-led prayer in the past, now that a complaint has been raised, in the future, only student-led prayer will be allowed, he said. “I do have to live within the law,” he said.
Grover’s May 30 letter stated that “any prayers led by teachers at school-sponsored events must be stopped immediately.”
In an interview, Grover said Tuesday, “We sent our letter to remind the district that public school teachers have an obligation under the U.S. Constitution to remain neutral toward religion while acting in their official capacity.”
Teacher-led prayer violates the establishment clause, which prohibits the government from making any law “respecting an establishment of religion,” Grover explained. He noted that the teacher-led prayer had occurred before at the same school and involved the same teacher.
In response to Rubright’s communication that teacher-led prayer when students are present will cease, Grover responded Monday: “Thank you for the reply outlining VCSC’s efforts to correct the issue raised in FFRF’s May 30 letter. … We now consider this matter closed.”
Grover said Tuesday that such complaint letters are “pretty common” and that lawsuits are filed only in cases where a school “goes out of its way to ignore its Constitutional obligation.”
In his complaint letter, Grover noted, “The Supreme Court has settled this matter — public school-sponsored functions must be secular to protect the freedom of conscience of all students.”
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