A Missouri high school football coach has been attacked for illegally praying with his team, in a recent complaint filed by an atheist group.
In October, the Freedom From Religion Foundation sent a letter to the Cameron School District in Cameron, Missouri, demanding that the district instruct coach Jeff Wallace and assistant coach David Stucky to cease praying with the players, Fox News reported.
“We ask that the district commence an investigation into the complaints alleged and take immediate action to stop any and all school-sponsored prayers or religious worship.” The group’s attorney, Christopher Line, also asked the district to relay how they intended to “remedy this serious and flagrant violation of the First Amendment.”
However, District Superintendent Dr. Matt Robinson replied by noting that the district had received no complaints from anyone in the Cameron community. Robinson went on to assure the atheist group that the district does not endorse any particular religion but that they would look into the complaint.
“The District is currently investigating the concerns raised in the Freedom From Religion Foundation’s letter to the District,” Robinson added, “pursuant to the District’s non-discrimination policy and policy regarding religious expression, to determine whether District policy has been violated. The District takes concerns of violations of policy seriously and will take action with regard to any findings from this investigation as appropriate.”
Jeremy Dys, special counsel for litigation and communications at First Liberty Institute, also noted that there were no complaints from anyone “with standing,” meaning no one actually affected by school district policy in the community has filed any complaint.
“Unless someone presents a plaintiff with actual legal standing, school officials should ignore these letters. No one should reward efforts to gin up controversy where none exists,” Dys said.
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