Written by Don Byrd
The school board in Liberal, Kansas met earlier this week and discussed the possibility of returning prayer to official school events including using the loudspeaker at football games for “student-led prayer.” After the suggestion was raised that they at least slow down to get a legal opinion first, the board decided to move ahead and vote for the prayer policy anyway.
The High Plains Daily Leader has more:
Superintendent of schools Paul Larkin cautioned the board members that they should be aware of challenges that could arise.
“We can have student-led prayer, but if we turn away certain groups — if you have someone who wants to serve up a prayer or a thought that isn’t the mainstream thinking — you’re going to have a problem,” he said. “The thing to do is take it to (board attorney) Mr. Yoxall and get some advice.”
…
Though Larkin offered to contact Yoxall in order to bring a legal opinion to the next board meeting, Sutherland-Abbott interrupted:“We don’t need to wait for that. We can make a board decision, as long as it’s student-led, to support prayer. I’ll make that motion. I’m gonna do it.”
And they did, voting 7-0 to authorize prayer at official school events. Truly student-led, student-initiated prayers may be one thing. They wouldn’t need a vote of the school board for that. Commandeering the school’s public address system for certain students to pray is a different story.They would have done well to wait for that legal opinion.
