A student from Northwest Rankin High School sued the school district, claiming that it violated her First Amendment rights.
U.S. District Judge Carlton Reeves ruled against Rankin County School District in Mississippi on July 10, saying that opening an honors assembly with a minister's prayer in 2014 violated an agreement that settled another lawsuit in 2013, in which the school district agreed to stop promoting Christianity during school hours.
In 2013, the Mississippi school district faced litigation when a student was forced to attend a series of assemblies that promoted Christianity. The district admitted that it violated the student's First Amendment rights and agreed to pay the student plaintiff's attorney fees.
In May 2014, the district hosted an honors assembly that opened with prayer, which prompted the American Humanist Association (AHA) to accuse the district of failing to uphold to the agreement made in 2013 to enforce a Religion in Public Schools policy that it would not support or inhibit any religion during school hours. This marks the second time Judge Carlton has ordered the school district to stop allowing prayer at school events.
The Rankin County School District responded by saying that it did not violate the First Amendment because the student's attendance at the ceremony with prayer was not mandatory.
Reeves ruled against the district, ordering it to stop sponsoring prayers at school related events, including graduations, award ceremonies, assemblies, and athletic competitions. Reeves charges the school district of trying to propagandize students with Christian doctrine in his judgment, arguing that "it deliberately went out of its way to entangle Christian indoctrination in the education process." The district was fined $7,500 and Reeves ruled that it is permanently banned from including prayer in any school-sponsored event.
Rankin County Superintendent Lynn Weathersby issued in a statement through school board attorney Fred Harrell that "as long as there is testing in schools, we believe that teachers, principals and students will continue to pray."
"That being said," Weathersby continued, "the school district will certainly abide by the order of any court to the best of its ability and will take whatever action necessary to make sure that all principals and teachers are updated on the current status of the law and that order."
