In a four-page statement Wednesday that appeared to have been written by lawyers, the Bremerton School District said it was placing an assistant football coach on paid administrative leave over a prayer controversy that’s gone nationwide.
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Coach Joe Kennedy has been booted from the locker room at Bremerton High School in Washington State, Fox News has learned exclusively. The letter reads, “Unless and until you are advised otherwise, you may not participate, in any capacity, in BHS [Bremerton High School] football program activities”. Should the school district allow Joe Kennedy to continue violating federal law by praying with students the chapter will have members at the game ready to take advantage of the school’s religious open forum created through inaction.
While Kennedy was ordered to close up shop on the midfield religious expression over a month ago, he has done just the opposite, continuing to kneel and pray after the final whistle, joined by others who played in or attended the game. The Bremerton football coach didn’t spend 20 years defending freedom only to have his stolen, but that’s exactly what the school district is threatening. In September the district superintendent told Kennedy he must stop, and that he and other teachers must avoid discussing religion with students “so as to avoid alienation of any team member”, and avoid breaking the law.
Should Bremerton High School allow Kennedy to pray with students without punitive action but deny the Satanic Temple equal access to school grounds after their initial request the district will open itself up to expensive lawsuits that could drain the district’s coffers.
“Forget me and come support these incredible young men who will be battling on the field”, Kennedy wrote. And here I always thought the idea of the Bible was to do what the Bible told you to do, not the opposite.
The district said Kennedy is still employed and will be paid through the remainder of his contract term unless his status changes. “Our intent is not to initiate legal action for the sake of taking legal action”. “We’ve grown up seeing bakers, photographers, CEOs, florists, sportscasters, professors, and fire chiefs get attacked and pushed out of their careers because of their peacefully-expressed moral convictions”.
He continued, “If they’re not willing to do the right thing … we are willing to do what’s necessary to defend his religious freedom”. Kennedy refused their request, and also declined to pray in private elsewhere in the stadium instead of on the center of the field.
“My kids go to that school and you’re telling me that I can’t do this”, Kennedy said. We were only able to have a brief hour and half call with their lawyer, and the result was a letter banning private prayer just a few hours before [the recent] game.
The letter cited U.S. Supreme Court and appeals court cases, and told him he was free to practice while on the clock as long as he did so away from students or the prayers were not demonstrative.
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“I was thanking God for you guys”, Kennedy recalls responding. “So, I can’t not do this”.
