Attorney Says It Is Unconstitutional

There is a controversy over praying around the flagpoles of Clay County Florida schools.   Pastor Ron Baker of Russell Baptist Church held another prayer session Monday morning outside Clay Hill Elementary.

 Monday morning's prayer session took place at 8:15 a.m. -- before classes begin but after the teachers' work day begins.  Baker has been leading such prayers outside Clay County schools every Monday morning for years.

Attorney J. Bruce Bickner Clay County School Board's legal counsel recently issued a legal opinion that the activity is unconstitutional.  He found that not only are teachers and staff participating during their school days but the principal invited Baker to hold the prayer event and had it promoted in the school newsletter.

"These enumerated activities all work together to make this a clear violation ... and a clear case of endorsement of religion generally and Christianity particularly," attorney J. Bruce Bickner wrote in a statement. "It is a violation of the U.S. Constitution for a teacher, school administrator or other school district employee to join in a prayer session during their work time."

Bickner's opinion was specific to Clay Hill, but he said similar constitutional violations occurred at Charles Bennett, Lake Asbury, and Shadowlawn elementary schools.

"The right of students to gather and pray outside of instructional time—while at school—is clearly a Constitutionally protected form of free speech. This has been affirmed in regard to "Equal Access Clubs" by the 1990 U.S. Supreme Court decision in Westside Community Schools v. Mergens.  And in 1995, President Bill Clinton directed then-Secretary of Education, Richard Riley, to prepare guidelines for what the government deemed "appropriate religious expression on school grounds." These guidelines were issued and upheld by the government several times since. In them, See You at the Pole™ is specifically named as legal, appropriate, and protected:

"Students may also participate in before or after school events with religious content, such as "see you at the flag pole" gatherings, on the same terms as they may participate in other non curriculum activities on school premises. School officials may neither discourage nor encourage participation in such an event."

The ACLU and Democrats hate religion.  They do all they can to eliminate it from America.  They have no problem trampling over Christians rights to further their secular agenda.

"Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof"... --U.S. Constitution, Amendment 1

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