Pennsylvania —

FFRF made sure that the Blacklick Valley School District in Pennsylvania would respect the First Amendment and not allow for explicitly religious assemblies to take place at school-sponsored events.

A Blacklick Valley Elementary parent reported that the school’s Nov. 11, 2024, Veterans Day assembly included school-sponsored prayer. FFRF learned that a pastor was invited to lead a Christian prayer, that the principal knew this would occur ahead of time, and that she elected to prevent non-Christian students from attending the assembly rather than ensure that the school-sponsored event was secular.

“Here, the district crossed the constitutional line by allegedly including a school-sponsored prayer at its Veterans Day assembly and excluding non-Christian children from the event,” FFRF Staff Attorney Madeline Ziegler wrote.

FFRF received a response from district legal representative Ronald N. Repak shortly after sending the complaint letter. “We will ensure that we adhere to the requirement to neither prohibit nor to actively engage in the participation of religion within the school setting,” Repak wrote. “In working with the administration, we will review internal procedures and ensure that there is no favoritism nor prohibition shown in relation to religion and school sponsored events.”

The post FFRF made sure that the Blacklick Valley School District in Pennsylvania would not allow for explicitly religious assemblies to take place at school-sponsored events (August 2025) appeared first on Freedom From Religion Foundation.