A Texas faculty district reduce brief a three-week prayer marketing campaign after an atheist group in Wisconsin despatched a criticism letter.
The Burnet Consolidated Independent School District introduced on Facebook a “pray to the first day” effort starting July 26 and ending on the primary day of courses, Aug. 16. A Facebook publish listed the district’s three elementary colleges, its center faculty and two highschool campuses as prayer recipients, together with varied district administration members and faculty workers.
The merchandise caught the attention of officers with the Freedom From Religion Foundation in Madison, Wisconsin, prompting Samantha F. Lawrence, the group’s Anne Nicol Gaylor Legal Fellow, to write down a letter to Burnet CISD Supt. Keith McBurnett, demanding the district “cease promoting prayer and remove this post from its official social media.”
In a letter, Ms. Lawrence stated the district “is displaying clear favoritism towards religion over nonreligion by promoting and encouraging prayer.”
She stated the three,200-student district, “serves a diverse community that consists of not only religious students, families, and employees, but also atheists, agnostics, and those who are simply religiously unaffiliated.” The FRFF letter cited surveys of the U.S. inhabitants that reported percentages of nonreligious and religiously unaffiliated to again up that declare.
A information launch from the atheist and freethinker group stated Mr. McBurnett responded through electronic mail, “The Facebook post has been removed, and the district will refrain from posting anything similar in the future.”
Reached by phone Monday, an assistant to Mr. McBurnett informed The Washington Times the administrator was not instantly accessible for remark on account of a district “convocation” deliberate for Tuesday.
FFRF Co-President Annie Laurie Gaylor stated in a press release, “A school district does not need to pray for their students and staff. It needs to focus instead on providing a secular education free from religious indoctrination.”
The difficulty of prayer in and round colleges has been contentious lately.
In 2022, the Supreme Court dominated in favor of a highschool soccer coach in Bremerton, Washington, who was fired for praying on the 50-yard line after video games.
Content Source: www.washingtontimes.com