BERKELEY COUNTY, S.C. – The Freedom From Religion Foundation is demanding that the Berkeley County School Board prevent members of the audience from “interrupting its meetings to push Christianity by reciting the Lord’s Prayer during the moment of silence.”
In a press release, the state/church watchdog said it was alerted that the board is doing nothing to stop members of the audience from “hijacking” a moment of silence to say aloud the Lord’s Prayer. The prayers for the last three board meetings have been led by former school board member Ann Conder.
“It is to invite God into our boardroom so that he will grant you righteous guidance as you make your decisions for our children and their education,” Conder recently told Live 5 News. “We will not be silenced and we will continue to invite God into this boardroom.”
At the most recent meeting, a woman commented, “Oh, no, no, a moment of silence. No, show some respect for non-Christians here” to protest Conder’s prayer. She later told media, “As long as she keeps getting away with it, right, it’ll just continue. It’s disrespectful for non-Christians who are there, and it’s a moment of silence. It’s pretty simple.”
South Carolina’s Public Invocation Act, passed in 2016, states that prayer at public meetings may not “advance any one faith or belief, or coerce participation by observers.”
SEE ALSO:
After the law was adopted, according to WCSC News, the board accordingly and appropriately replaced a prayer with a moment of silence. A portion of board policy does address public participation: “All regular board meetings are public meetings; however, a public meeting is not an open forum. Public participation is limited to the concerns of citizens section of the board meeting only. The board vests in its chairman or other presiding officer the authority to terminate the remarks of any individual when he/she does not adhere to the procedures established above.”
Freedom From Religion Foundation’s letter to the Berkeley County School District:
FFRF said it’s is asking the board chair to take immediate action: “The board has chosen to host a moment of silence to allow those who wish to pray prior to meetings to do so without violating the constitutional rights of its students and community members by imposing prayer on everyone,” FFRF Staff Attorney Chris Line writes. “The board should honor its decision and not allow members of the public to interrupt this moment.”
The Freedom From Religion Foundation is a national nonprofit organization with more than 40,000 members and several chapters across the country, including more than 300 members in South Carolina. FFRF said it works to protect the constitutional separation between state and church. To read the press release in its entirety, click here.
Recent Comments