A Baptist pastor in Florida at the center of a see-you-at-the-pole prayer controversy says he will not stop leading the prayers before school in Clay County, despite a school board attorney's recent opinion that the event is unconstitutional. Associated Baptist Press reports:
Superintendent Ben Wortham initially asked [Russell Baptist Church Pastor Ron] Baker to stop holding the prayer meetings but later said they could continue if the sessions were moved up before 7:10 a.m. when teachers report to schools. The prayers have been beginning around 8:15 a.m.
Baker initially agreed but changed his mind. “I think if I were to stop, it somehow sends the message that I think it must be wrong,” Baker said. “Why wouldn’t I want to pray for the safety and security of that school, pray for all those teachers and administration, pray for all those students.”
Baker said he was advised by Pat Robertson’s American Center for Law and Justice “that there is nothing illegal about what we’re doing and that it falls well within the perimeters of what the Constitution allows.”
