Sued many times over for their improper promotion of religion, including most recently in February 2008 over their meeting prayer policy, the School Board of Tangipahoa Parish in Louisiana is making changes to those rules (again) in advance of a June trial.
A special meeting was called according to address not, of course, this suit but "hypothetical" concerns raised elsewhere. Still, is there any doubt – given their history – that they're hoping to get away with small alterations in policy to head off the legal challenge while maintaining their basic practice of opening government meetings with sectarian prayer?
Reported in Louisiana's Advocate, changes include introducing students and others involved in meetings *after* the invocation (presumably to avoid requiring attendees to sit through a prayer to participate in meetings), and a new method for determining if religions are "authentic", to be allowed to give the opening prayer.
One change explains that if there is a question about whether a congregation is authentic, school officials should rely on criteria the IRS uses to determine if religious organizations are tax-exempt.
Congregations can request to be added to a board list developed from the phone book and other local sources.
One of the allegations in the current suit is that a community member was denied access to the clergy list because she was "nondenominational", a charge the Board denies. The motion to dismiss hearing is slated for May 20.
