The Freedom From Religion Foundation has once again bullied a school district into canceling an elective event due to its religious theme.
According to reports, the Burnet Consolidated Independent School District in Texas had planned a three-week prayer event and received a complaint letter from the FFRF claiming that the voluntary program would constitute the promotion of a particular faith.
FFRF objected to the Texas-based Burnet CISD promoting a prayer marathon event before the start of the fall semester. The district has taken action to prevent future offenses through official school channels.https://t.co/BSrd1bBSTs pic.twitter.com/Bx5CfTONQd
— FFRF (@FFRF) August 3, 2023
The event began on July 26 and was scheduled to last until the first day of school next week, but it was called off early after Superintendent Keith McBurnett received the letter.
“By promoting prayer, the district sends an official message that excludes all nonreligious district students and community members,” wrote FFRF spokesperson Sammi Lawrence.
Revealing that McBurnett responded to the letter by deleting the social media listing for the event, Lawrence concluded: “We’re glad that school officials are taking action to uphold constitutional neutrality. A school district does not need to pray for their students and staff. It needs to focus instead on providing a secular education free from religious indoctrination.”
The FFRF, which touts its commitment to “promot[ing] the constitutional principle of separation of state and church” and “educat[ing] the public on matters of nontheism,” has frequently injected itself into similar matters in the past.
Earlier this year, the organization took aim at the Berkeley County School District in South Carolina, which had previously included a prayer to start its board meetings.
“The board has chosen to host a moment of silence to allow those who wish to pray prior to meetings to do so without violating the constitutional rights of its students and community members by imposing prayer on everyone,” FFRF attorney Chris Line asserted. “The board should honor its decision and not allow members of the public to interrupt this moment.”
Even NFL legend Deion Sanders has run afoul of the group’s atheist agenda. After leading a prayer ahead of a team meeting, the University of Colorado football coach received harsh criticism from Line and FFRF Co-President Annie Laurie Gaylor, who wrote: “There is no doubting the sporting accomplishments of Deion Sanders, but that doesn’t give him the right to force his religion upon student athletes at a public university.”
