A complaint was filed against Rockvale High School football coach Rick Rice for leading his football team, in a post-game prayer. The organization known as the Freedom From Religion Foundation filed a complaint against the head football coach on the basis of a concerned parent who made a call to the organization about the pre and post game prayers performed by the high school football team. The FFRF called Rice's prayer unconstitutional and asked the Rutherford County Board of Education to investigate the matter. Rice apologized for leading the prayer and said he didn't mean to offend anyone. He said he led two prayers this season and that a student led a prayer at another game.
This is not the first go round of dealing with football for the Freedom From Religion Foundation, as they have previously involved themselves in situations that addresses a high school sports program’s role in promotion of religious activity. The FFRF is the same organization that lodged a complaint in Robertson County accusing educators of violating the U.S. Constitution by allowing two student-athletes to be baptized on the school’s football field last month. Robertson County Director of Schools Chris Causey said the baptisms were initiated and led by students and that no school personnel were involved. The baptisms took place in front of teammates after practice. The foundation has also filed at least two complaints in Rutherford County before: At Siegel High School in 2015 and at Oakland Middle School in 2016, both involving prayer at sporting events.
The U.S. Supreme Court has repeatedly struck down school-sponsored prayer in public schools. In 1990, the court declared a public school employee participating in a student-led prayer or other religious activity is unconstitutional. Similarly, federal courts have ruled a coach's silent participation in a student prayer to be unconstitutional.
Despite the complaints made by the FFRF, there is a tremendous amount of support being held for Coach Rice, and the Rockvale High School football team. Rockville students took it upon themselves to support their head football coach and even planned to host a prayer on the track when the Rockets faced off against the their next opponent, the Oakland Patriots. The planned event was not interfered with as hundreds of students and adults gathered around the end zone to pray with the team after the end of the Oakland game.
I do not believe that this is much of an issue, and feel there was no need for the Freedom From Religion Foundation to file a complaint against the school’s head coach for praying with his players. Praying is a form of meditation and it can be used to simply gather one’s thoughts based on whatever that individual chooses to think about in that time, and can even be done with a moment of silence. Sports programs all over the country frequently pray before, after, or even during games or practices. The unconstitutionality of the situation cannot stand because this prohibits the First amendment rights of the students who openly are choosing to pray. If the Coach leads it in can then be considered unconstitutional, as the Coach being a figure of authority, would imply that Rockvale public school does promote religious activity within their establishment, but if the players choose to lead the prayer then it should not be considered as unconstitutional because they are expressing their first amendment rights.
7 comments:
I agree with the author. If the prayer or meditation is student led, it would be a direct violation of the First Amendment to force them to stop. But, I believe what the court would be questioning is the coach's lead in prayer at the games. As an athlete myself, I have experienced this in the past. The leading of a denominational prayer (which I believe is the case here) should be found unconstitutional as it promotes a specific religion. Because the coach is paid by the state, he should not be able to express an endorsement of one religion in the public view of all of his athletes. This would pressure those that do not follow his religion to adhere to his system of beliefs, which is in violation of the religious freedom clause.
I think that if this case went to the Supreme Court, it would be deemed unconstitutional. The football coach is employed by the school which is funded by tax payers, and past cases have made a precedent for school officials not being able to lead prayers. However, I see nothing wrong with the students gathering to pray before the game in support of their coach. This act is done completely on the behalf of the students' own motives. While the act will take place on school grounds, the school itself has no autonomy over the action. Therefore, the school is not held accountable for it. I know that feelings do not matter in the court of law, however, the FFRF's decision to report these minor problems seems trifling to me.
I agree with the author of this post. If the prayer is lead by the students of this high school, it would not be considered unconstitutional because it was the students choice to lead this prayer. I do understand however, due to the fact that Rockvale High School is a public High School that there is a slippery slope to the division between creating outside secular prayer/ meditation being considered unconstitutional but I believe that since it has no effect to the secular teaching of the school, it is again constitutional for these children to recite prayer before and after games if these chose to.
I do agree with the FFRF, that it is unconstitutional for the coach, a public employee, whose salary is tax payer funded, to lead the students in any sort of religious ritual, even if that was what they wanted. I think that him doing so would constitute the government's indirect funding of religious indoctrination. I do not think that this means that prayer before and after games should be out-right prohibited because that would constitute an infringement on the students' right to free exercise of religion. I think that in a situation like this, the coach should not stop the students if they decide they want to pray, neither should he actively encourage or lead them to pray, even if they ask him to. As an employee at a public institution, that should never be his role. He should be as neutral as possible.
First, I agree with Nathan that having the coach lead the prayer is unconstitutional since the coach is paid by the state, therefore establishing religion. However, I am conflicted as to whether it is constitutional for the students to conduct prayers. I think the issue of prayers in public schools depends greatly on who is leading the prayer, what environment the prayer is taking place in, and what tools are being used to deliver the prayer. In Sante Fe Independent School Dist. v. Doe (2000), a policy permitting student-led, student-initiated prayer at football games was found unconstitutional because it violated the Establishment Clause. However, these students used public speakers to deliver the prayers. I do not know if that is the case in this situation, but the student-led prayer is still being held on public school property, and so I do find it controversial for the students to be leading the prayers. It can be seen as both an establishment of religion and the right to free exercise.
I agree with Stef. I am under the assumption that the coach led prayers did not establish a particular religion since that is not mentioned in this post. I understand that some people may say that the term "prayer," even if secular in nature, could be considered an establishment of religion. However, due to the assumed religious neutrality of the prayers, I see no issue. A secular team prayer can encourage togetherness and team unity. Furthermore, no where does it say students were coerced to pray, meaning that they prayed based on their own free will. Some even spoke out publicly in support of their coach. This free will implies that there is no substantial burden placed on these students since they are not forced to participate in prayer regardless of their beliefs.
Although I agree with the author of the post, it is important to take into consideration that this school is a public school and religious activities should not take place. The coach should separate himself from the praying ritual because it adds pressure to the players to pray. However, if the students decide to do pray on their own then that is their individual religious right. This is a matter of who is enforcing this behavior. As a school official, the coach should not partake in leading the prayers and may pray for his team on his own time. I understand that before a big game a team will want wise and encouraging words from their coach but it should not praise a higher power.
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