It’s official.
Bremerton High School Coach Joe Kennedy must stop his pre-game and post-game prayers or face possible termination of employment by the Bremerton School District.
The three-page letter, signed by District Superintendent Aaron Leavell and published this morning by Coach Kennedy’s lawyers at the Liberty Institute, informs Coach Kennedy that “[his] talks with students may not include religious expression, including prayer,” and adding that, “they must remain entirely secular in nature, so as to avoid alienation of any team member.”
Click here to sign the petition to support Coach Joe!
Leavell also noted that the school district would, upon request, provide a place for Coach Kennedy to express his religious beliefs “for a brief time before and after games,” and so long as it was in private and “not observable to students or the public.”
Kennedy’s attorneys at the Liberty Institute have already initiated preparations for legal proceedings on the grounds of religious discrimination, should the school district take any adverse actions against Coach Kennedy for expressing his faith, as clearly protected under the First Amendment.
The Family Policy Institute of Washington encourages concerned Washingtonians and Christians alike to sign the petition to support Coach Joe’s right to worship and pray freely before and after football games by signing the petition at this link.
Then, we ask that you kindly email Bremerton Schools Superintendent Aaron Leavell at [email protected] and ask him to reconsider the District’s stance.
Follow @FPIW on Twitter for more updates as the story progresses.
