Update: Family Protests Religious Nature of Taylors' School Graduation

Article has been updated to include statement from Greenville County Schools.

An unidentified family has taken issue with a 5th-grade graduation ceremony for Taylors' Mountain View Elementary School and has sought the help of the American Humanist Association in its protest of the event on the grounds it breached the separation of church and state.

The association has sent a cease-and-desist letter to Greenville County Schools superintendent W. Burke Royster and school Principal Jennifer Gibson, claiming "the school's actions were clearly unconstitutional."

The graduation was held on May 30 in a chapel at North Greenville University, a Southern Baptist college based in Tigerville.

"The official schedule of events called for prayers on two separate occasions as part of the ceremony, which took place in a large Christian worship space, adorned with crosses, stained glass and other religious elements. The university’s logo includes the phrase 'Christ Makes a Difference,'" the AHA said in a press release.

“It has been made clear by the federal courts that events such as these violate the constitutional principle of separation of church and state,” said Monica Miller, an attorney and legal consultant with the association's Appignani Humanist Legal Center. “When a public school sponsors an event, it is the administration’s responsibility to ensure separation of church and state is maintained.”

The AHA's letter warns of a possible lawsuit if the school continues to hold events of a sectarian nature or in a sectarian venue.

A copy of the AHA's letter can be found here. 

"We are in receipt of the letter and our attorney is looking into the matter and will prepare a response about this specific situation to the organization," district spokesman Oby Lyles told Patch via email.

"Principals are provided in-service and information regarding the Establishment Clause and the need to ensure that school activities do not advance, prefer, or promote religion," Lyles said. "Through those efforts, we strive to balance the Establishment Clause with the protected ability for individuals to express private religious speech. For example, a school should not endorse the use of prayer by students at any school-sponsored event. The district will continue to monitor school-sponsored programs to ensure compliance with the law and will take appropriate action if needed."