Superintendent Speaks On Prayer Issue

Superintendent Dr. Kelly Pew has issued a statement following the board's adoption of a non-sectarian prayer policy concerning invocations at school board meetings.

The issue has drawn large crowds at recent board meetings, who have urged the board and the district to fight for sectarian prayer all the way to the Supreme Court if necessary.

Pew's statement is below:

“On Monday, March 25, the board of trustees adopted a policy that would allow board members to deliver non-sectarian prayers at their meetings if they choose. This policy is a change from the previous practice of inviting students to deliver an invocation.

“The policy applies only to the official invocation at the beginning of ten Board meetings each year, and has no bearing on the right of our students to pray or not pray at our schools. Our students will continue to have the freedom to practice their religions in any manner that does not create a disruption in the classroom, and we will continue to protect the right of our students to pray—or refrain from praying—in school.

“The Board will be guided by the invocations of the chaplains of the South Carolina Senate and the House of Representatives. In order to maintain an invocation at board meetings, I support the board’s adoption of the policy.

“Every policy and practice of our district must comply with the law, regardless of whether we anticipate a lawsuit on a particular issue. Great effort has been made to study this situation and the guiding legal principles, including consulting the views of the South Carolina Attorney General's office and our Board's attorneys.

"The new policy was designed in particular to comply with South Carolina law allowing public invocations. Our state law and the First Amendment protect religious liberty of the individual from government interference, and in so doing they guard against the use of government to promote specific versions of religion. The same rules apply to the meetings of city and county councils.

“Many members of the community have expressed to the school district that they do not recognize nonsectarian prayers as valid because of their religious convictions. Other members of our community with different religious beliefs have no such objection. As a government entity, our policies must be guided by the law, and cannot be overridden by the religious convictions of any segment of the community.

“Non-sectarian invocations before the meetings of deliberative government bodies is a tradition that extends to the very first meeting of the U.S. Congress—the same Congress that passed the First Amendment. I am in favor of maintaining that tradition, which has been upheld in court. But the tradition has only been upheld in cases of non-sectarian prayer―prayers addressed to God but not favoring or disfavoring any one faith or belief.

As a district, we remain committed to serving the educational needs of our students, protecting their rights and following the law.”