Joe Kennedy, a football coach at Bremerton High School in Washington, was so inspired by the film he chose to embrace that philosophy – knowing that to do so could cost him his job.
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Hiram Sasser, Deputy Chief Counsel at Liberty Institute says, “Federal law requires the school district to allow Coach Kennedy to pray privately after the football game”.
Attorneys specifically asked that the ban, which was reportedly outlined in a letter to Kennedy on September 17, be overturned before Friday evening at 5 p.m., so that the coach will be able to pray after the homecoming game that evening, according to a press release.
It’s also important to note the high court legally distinguishes between speech involving matters of public interest (war) versus speech on issues in which the person holds a personal stake (religion).
When the next football game ended and the players had cleared the field, Coach Kennedy walked alone to the fifty-yard line and prayed a short prayer, thanking God for his players, their safety, and their spirited competition. He did so until last month when someone told him he’d be fired if he continued. Liberty Institute defends religious freedom for all.
Initially, Kennedy complied with the order from the district.
It’s unclear what the school will do, but its previous comments clearly show that Kennedy’s decision directly defies the district. Superintendent Aaron Leavell said it was a violation of school policy that “staff shall neither encourage nor discourage a student from engaging in non-disruptive oral or silent prayer or any other form of devotional activity”. “For whatever reason the school district decided they wanted to censor Coach Kennedy”.
Santa Fe Independent School District v. Doe, which found that schools may not allow prayers to be read – even by students – over the public address system at even optional extracurricular events, such as football games. Over the years, students joined the coach – all voluntarily. Additionally, in a letter to the school district the Liberty Institute inaccurately cited existing case-law justifying Kennedy’s actions.
As a part of his legal engagement with the Liberty Institute Kennedy already vowed to sue the school for violating his First Amendment religious civil rights should he be terminated for praying with students. In 2008, Coach Kennedy saw a movie called Facing the Giants about faith and football, which inspired him to begin thanking God for his players after the games.
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Rep. Jesse Young (R-Gig Harbor) attended the announcement and has gone to each of Bremerton’s home games following the controversy. “You know, I have a higher power that I answer to”.
