The Supreme Court has affirmed a victory for prayer at school board meetings in Texas. The justices declined to hear an appeal of a 5th Circuit Court of Appeals ruling, which upheld the right of student-led prayers before board meetings of the Birdville Independent School District. The district allows students to make statements before the meetings and most offer a prayer.
The Birdville school’s superintendent, Darrell Brown, told the Star-Telegram that the district has been “vindicated” in its legal fight to support student-led prayers at board meetings.
“The speeches given by students at the board meetings are their own—not something they are told to say,” Brown said in a statement. “Occasionally, students will open the meeting with a prayer. We believe the students have the right to express themselves in this manner if they choose.”
The 5th Circuit’s panel of three judges determined earlier this year that a lower court acted correctly when it dismissed a lawsuit brought by a Birdville High School graduate and by the American Humanist Association. That former student said the prayers made him feel “violated and uncomfortable.”
—Adapted from CBN News .
