Beginning in 1962, the Supreme Court of the United States ruled in favor of a group of Christian, Jewish, and Unitarian plaintiffs by declaring that official led prayer in public schools represented unconstitutional government interference in religion. Neither this ruling, nor any subsequent rulings prohibited students from praying - alone or together - in public schools, however the rulings have been unambiguous: public school teachers and/or officials may not lead prayers attended by their students while they are on duty, nor can they participate in student led prayers.

By continuing to encourage students to join him in prayer (silent or spoken) after high school football games, Coach Kennedy is not only violating the Constitution, he is sending a message to his students that the rules by which all of us are governed in this country are optional. This is unacceptable.

We call on the School Board of the Bremerton School District to immediately terminate Coach Kennedy's employment, or at the very least remove him from any position of authority over students. Further delays only increase the District's complicity in Coach Kennedy's actions, invite the spectacle of other faith groups taking advantage of the situation by performing religious rituals of their own at BHS sporting events, and put taxpayer dollars at risk by embroiling the School District in expensive litigation, rather than using them to focus on education.