Many Schools Ignoring Graduation Prayer Ruling U.S. District Judge Forbids Grangeville To Allow Prayers, Says Decision Does Apply Elsewhere
Right in the middle of graduation ceremonies, eastern Idaho school districts face a quandary over whether to allow any sort of school prayers.
U.S. District Judge Edward Lodge on Thursday signed an order specifically forbidding Grangeville’s graduation ceremony next week from including prayer.
Lodge also noted that because of an order from the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals, the same restriction applies elsewhere.
“Therefore, as mandated by the decision of the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals, prayer or other religious activities are not permitted at public high school graduation ceremonies in general …” and in particular, they are not permitted at Grangeville.
The federal appeals court last week banned Grangeville from proceeding with school prayers at graduation. The court noted that it ruled that way late last year, and the matter has been appealed to the U.S. Supreme Court.
But until and unless the Supreme Court rules, the November decision stands, the court said.
Lodge’s order Thursday carried out that directive.
The decision comes just when most high schools are passing out diplomas. Some school officials have decided the court’s ruling doesn’t apply to them.
Sugar-Salem Superintendent Tom Morley said the district planned to continue its long-standing practice of letting students decide whether to pray at graduation.
But American Civil Liberty Union executive director for Idaho Jack Van Valkenburgh said the ruling is explicit.
“I would believe they (pray) at their peril,” he said.
Van Valkenburgh said the decision applies to all districts in the circuit, not just Grangeville.
But the ban is hard to swallow in eastern Idaho, where the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints anchors many of the smaller communities.
Until the Supreme Court makes a decision, said Max Romrell, Sugar-Salem vice principal, the situation is too ambiguous to end a long tradition. Besides, he said, no one has complained about the practice of praying.
That’s how senior class officer Kendall Jex sees it. Since district officials delegated the responsibility to the seniors, Jex made the decision by talking to his classmates, who either favored having a prayer or were indifferent.
“I felt that it’s our constitutional right to have it because it’s not taking anyone else’s right away,” Jex said. “It’s taking away our rights not to have it.”
Van Valkenburg agrees so long as students pray to themselves. “They can pray in Idaho. We want that made clear,” he said. “You can pray so long as you don’t interrupt the proceedings.”