From The Trussville Tribune staff reports
BLOUNT COUNTY, Ala. — Faith, family, and football are three pillars of life in the South. Praying before football games in Alabama have been as much a part of Friday night football as cheerleaders and marching bands. This week schools in the Blount County School District will be kicking off their football games with a moment of silence rather than its traditional pregame invocation for the first time in decades.
The District has responded to a recent complaint claiming the legality of the Blount County School District’s pregame prayer ritual.
Beginning this Friday, student or volunteer-led prayer will no longer be allowed over a PA system before high school football games according to CBS42. Instead, the district has opted for a moment of silence.
The is the second school district in the last three weeks that has responded to the non-profit organization complaint on pregame prayer.
Related Story: Hewitt-Trussville replaces pregame prayer with a moment of silence
The complaint stems from an 18-year-old U.S. Supreme Court landmark case dealing with religious freedom and public versus private speech during school-sanctioned events which established the precedent that public schools cannot sponsor religious activity.
Since the Supreme Court’s ruling, various lower courts have held that students are allowed to initiate group prayer and still be protected under their First Amendment rights, as long as the prayer is not sponsored by the school.
