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“When I saw Coach Kennedy out there praying with the students, I knew that was wrong. That’s clearly not allowed by law. As a coach, you can’t lead public school students in prayer.”
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AU Supporter,
That’s what I was told last week by Paul Peterson, a Bremerton, Washington, resident who was in the stands back in 2015 and saw the Bremerton High School football coach gather players on the field at the 50-yard line immediately after football games and lead them in prayer.
“As a parent, I would’ve been upset if a coach or teacher was using their position of power to influence the religious beliefs of my kids,” said Paul, whose four children attended Bremerton High School. “It crossed a line. You’re supposed to help kids develop as people, not proselytize to them.”
No student should have to pray to play school sports. But we know that experiences like what Paul witnessed in Bremerton are all too common and happening all around the country.
Have you, your friends, or your family been pressured to pray in public school?
Please take just a minute to share your story.
I was honored to meet Paul in person and join with him and a group of incredible Bremerton clergy last week to talk about what happened in Bremerton and to speak out in support of the religious freedom of Bremerton students and church-state separation.
It’s critical that these stories be shared so that people understand how religious coercion and discrimination in public schools undermines religious freedom for all of us. And it helps us to push back against the coach’s attorneys, who are advancing a deceitful narrative about what happened in Bremerton.
Will you join us by sharing your story if you ever felt pressured to participate in religious activities in public school?
Later this spring, we will be arguing on behalf of the Bremerton School District, which insisted on protecting the religious freedom of all its students. The facts in Kennedy v. Bremerton School District are clear: high school players felt pressured to join their coach’s public prayers at the 50-yard line at public high school football games.
Our country’s foundational principle of church-state separation means that no one should ever have to choose between their religious freedom and being part of the team. Join us to help demonstrate the importance of students’ religious freedom by sharing your story.
If you ever felt pressured to pray in school, we hope you’ll share your story and help us protect everyone’s First Amendment rights.
With hope and determination,
Rachel K. Laser
President and CEO
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