Prayer Banned at Graduation, School Events

A school district in Massachusetts will no longer allow prayer at its school-sponsored events in order to appease one of the nation’s leading atheist groups.

Canton Public Schools Superintendent Jennifer Fischer-Mueller informed the Wisconsin-based Freedom From Religion Foundation (FFRF) that “steps have been taken to ensure that there will be no prayers or religious rituals” included as part of any school ceremony or school-sponsored event, including graduation ceremonies.

The FFRF advocates for a strict separation of church and state and regularly pressures school districts and local government entities across the nation to drop all types of religious activities and cooperation. Fischer-Mueller’s letter came after the FFRF sent a letter demanding action.

The letter complained that Canton Principal Derek Folan invited Rev. John Tamilio III of the Congregational Church of Canton to give a prayer at the 2018 Canton High School graduation ceremony last spring. In the invocation, Tamilio allegedly called upon a “holy, loving, and most gracious God,” asking Him to bless the graduating students.

Many school districts choose to change their prayer policies to avoid the costly legal fees of an FFRF lawsuit.