California —

The Monrovia Unified School District in California has informed football coaches at Monrovia High School that leading student-athletes in prayer is a violation of students’ rights.

A district parent reported that the high school football coaches were regularly leading student-athletes in prayer on the field prior to football games for at least several years. FFRF’s complainant-parent stated that the prayers were making their child “uncomfortable,” but they did not dissent or sit the prayers out for fear of retaliation from the coaches.

“When coaches lead the team in prayer, students, such as our complainant’s child, will no doubt feel that participating in that prayer is essential to pleasing the coaches and being viewed as a team player,” FFRF Staff Attorney Sammi Lawrence wrote to Superintendent Paula Hart Rodas.

FFRF’s letter did its job, as Rodas responded to confirm that the administration of Monrovia High School had been notified of the letter and was directed to investigate the matter. “The administration was given instruction to direct all football coaching staff to cease and desist any coach-led prayers or prayerlike activity that could be assumed to be of religious character,” Rodas wrote. “By the close of the investigation, all football coaches had been given the directive that coach-led prayer is not permissible at any time.”

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