CANTON TWP. – The Canton Local school board will no longer begin its meetings with a prayer . Board President Scott Hamilton said Tuesday that the board made the decision to discontinue its longstanding practice of invocation after reviewing the laws and court cases surrounding the issue of prayer at school board meetings. A letter from the Freedom From Religion Foundation on July 23 prompted the review. The Wisconsin-based nonprofit, which promotes the separation of church and state, said it was contacted by a parent concerned about the board directing its audience to stand in recognition of the prayer that often directly quoted the Christian Bible and often contained the Christian religious phrases such as “Dear God” and “amen.” The Canton Local parent has asked not to be identified for fear of retaliation against their children. Hamilton, who has served on the school board for nearly 25 years, said a review of the case law found the school board falls under the jurisdiction of the U.S. Sixth Circuit Court of Appeal’s decision in 1999 that determined a Cleveland school board violated the Establishment Clause of the First Amendment when it prayed before meetings. While the U.S. Supreme Court has […]
