Missouri School Restricts Religious Activities After Atheist Prayer Complaint
A school district in Fayette, Missouri has settled a legal dispute brought on by a secular group last year regarding alleged Christian prayers being held on campus.
Fayette High School, located in mid-Missouri, recently reached a settlement decree with the American Humanist Association, which filed a lawsuit against the school back in November 2013. The lawsuit alleged that the school district had violated the U.S. Constitution's First Amendment by showing favoritism to Christianity. The lawsuit argued that Fayette's former math teacher, Gwen Pope, participated in a weekly, Christian-themed prayer with her students in her classroom. Additionally, it alleged that such prayer meetings were announced on the school intercom by former Principal Darren Rapert, and the prayer gatherings were allowed to meet before school, even though other student-led clubs did not have the same privilege.
The agreement reached between Fayette High School and the American Humanist Association states that the school will amend its 2014 Student Teacher Handbook to explicitly outline the rules dictating a separation of church and state at public schools. The handbook will clearly state when student groups can meet and how teachers may participate in student-led religious expression.
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"The Fayette R-III School District shall be permanently enjoined from promoting prayer or religious activity as prohibited by the First Amendment," reads the decree.
Additionally, defendants in the case must pay $41,000 in legal fees to the American Humanist Association and its lawyers.
Superintendent Tamara Kimball said in a statement to the Associated Press that she and fellow defendants deny all of the allegations by the plaintiffs, except for the claim that Principal Rapert announced the weekly prayer meetings over the school intercom.
"After months of investigation and interviews the district determined that virtually every allegation made by the plaintiffs was false, misleading or taken out of context," Kimball said. "As a result, the district agreed that the one allegation we did confirm as accurate, the content of the morning announcement, would be a simple concession to make so we could put this lawsuit behind us and continue our mission of educating students."
Kimball added that it was more fiscally responsible to reach a settlement and pay $41,000 then continue on with the lawsuit.
David Niose, a lawyer for the American Humanist Association, told KRCG-13 that a settlement was easy to reach with the defendants because "there was a recognition that a line had been crossed," adding that negotiations were not contentious.
