Constitutional Law

Tenn. student leads prayer before high school football game

By By The Associated Press

CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. ? A group of young people and adults gathered and said a prayer before the start of a high school football game in southeastern Tennessee on Oct. 29 despite a ban on using loudspeakers to lead the event.

A Soddy-Daisy police officer escorted a group of people assembled in front of the stands onto the grass just behind the goal posts just before the Soddy-Daisy game against Cleveland kicked off Friday night.

Dozens of people came out of the home and visitor stands for a prayer led by Soddy-Daisy senior Shelton Brown as announcers honored football players and cheerleaders on Senior Night.

Afterward, Brown told the Chattanooga Times Free Press he was surprised by how many people turned out.

"We weren't allowed to announce we were doing it," he said.

Brown said school officials also told him the prayer couldn't be held on the football field.

Hamilton County Schools Superintendent Jim Scales recently ordered a stop to prayers over the loudspeaker at football games and other school events after some Soddy-Daisy students complained to the Freedom From Religion Foundation.

Soddy-Daisy Mayor Gene Shipley and Commissioner Jim Adams joined the prayer group.

"I'm ready to defy Washington and the Supreme Court," Adams said. "I don't have a problem with it at all."

Dawn Sheaffer and her daughter, a Soddy-Daisy High School student, also joined the group.

"Look around at the support, even on the other side (of the field) they are coming out onto the field with us," said Sheaffer, adding that she came to the game just to cheer the students on. "We are all here to peacefully exercise our right to say a prayer for both teams."

After Scales halted the prayers, Soddy-Daisy players were invited to pray when they visited Rhea County for a game last week.

Since then, the Rhea County Schools has received its own letter from the Freedom From Religion Foundation.

Full post as published by First Amendment Center on October 31, 2010 (boomark / email).