LEE COUNTY, AL (WTVM) – The players of Smiths Station High School's football team got a friendly surprise from their opponents this Friday night.
As the loudspeaker announced a moment of silence before the game, the Central High School student section began reciting the Lord's Prayer, loudly.
This comes after the Smiths Station football team faced backlash for using a school provided loudspeaker during their pre-game prayer.
The Lee County School System banning the practice after a spectator complained and threated to suesayingthey were offended when they heard the pregame prayer tradition over theloudspeaker.
According to Lee County School Superintendent Mac McCoy, a letter from the Freedom from Religion Foundation said a U.S. Supreme Court opinion in which the courts decided that even student-led, student-initiated prayer over a public loudspeaker at football games, violates the Establishment Clause of the United States Constitution.
McCoy says the litigation the school system was facing didn’t look favorable if they continued with prayer over the loudspeaker.
Students and parents alike are outraged over the decision to no longer pray over the loudspeaker before football games.
“It’s sad, it’s depressing to think my kids are going to grow up not being able to have the freedom of speech or freedom of choice like we are supposed to have,” said Heather Hadaway, a Lee County School parent.
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