A school in Kentucky removes prayers at graduation ceremonies following complaint

After a complaint from “Freedom From Religion Foundation”, a school district in Kentucky decided to stop presenting prayers at its graduation ceremonies.

A school in Kentucky to stop presenting prayers at graduation ceremonies following complaint.

The atheist group advocating for a strict separation of church and state sent a letter  to the Pikeville Independent School District’s legal counsel to complain for the prayers made at at graduation ceremonies.

In response to this letter, the school was asked “to refrain from religious prayer at future graduations.” 

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According to a news release Thursday, Pikeville Independent School District’s legal counsel recently told FFRF the action they took after receiving their letter,“I have had the opportunity to review your attached letter and wanted to let you know that I have advised the principal to refrain from religious prayer at future graduations.” 

In July, FFRF sent Pikeville Independent Schools Superintendent David Trimble a letter on behalf of a “concerned citizen” who reported that the 2020 Pikeville High School graduation ceremony included three student-led prayers.

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The letter cited the Supreme Court decisions in Lee v. Weisman and Santa Fe Indep. Sch. District v. Doe when making the case that prayers at school-sponsored events violate the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution. “It is well-settled that schools may not include prayer in graduation ceremonies,” the letter read.

The beginning of the ceremony featured an invocation, where a graduating senior at Pikeville High School thanked God for “the experiences we have had through this distinguished school” and “the teachers, coaches and staff that have put in countless hours to provide us with resources necessary to become successful.”

He also expressed hope that God would “continue to walk with us along our future endeavors and watch over as we continue this journey called life.”

The atheist foundation FFRF’s complait was focused on the certain phrases that the student used during the prayer:“Heavenly Father” and “In your son’s name, we pray.” The letter contended that the “exclusively Christian” prayers alienated the “38 percent of younger Americans who are not religious.”

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About halfway through the ceremony, the salutatorian gave an address, thanking his “Lord and savior, Jesus Christ” as he reflected on his high school experience. He urged his fellow graduates to “make the Word of God a priority in your life as we leave high school and head off into the workforce, military, or higher education.”

“As I have grown in my relationship with Jesus Christ, I have found that I am unable to walk through this life alone and find true success, happiness or peace,” he added.

“The next few years will likely be one of the most crucial parts of our life as we head into the front lines of the war on maintaining Christian faith.”

Source: The Christian Post

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