Oklahoma —

The Marlow Public Schools system has been reminded that playing music with explicitly religious lyrics for students is a violation of the Establishment Clause of the First Amendment.

FFRF received a report that on the morning of Aug. 22, Marlow Elementary School played the religious song “He Won’t Fail” by Maverick City Music in the schoolyard while students were arriving. The lyrics to the song are explicitly religious, including lines such as “Christ is my firm foundation,” and “That I put my faith in Jesus.” Reportedly, the school has a practice of playing music in the schoolyard on mornings, and religious music is at least sometimes included.

“If Marlow Elementary School would like to play music for students, there are a multitude of secular age-appropriate options to choose from,” FFRF Staff Attorney Sammi Lawrence wrote. “A public school and its staff should be eager to set an example of acceptance and inclusion.”

District Superintendent Corey Holland investigated the situation and informed FFRF of his findings. While he could not confirm that the specific song was played on the day in question, he said an employee might have included what a reasonable person would consider a religious song.

“In any case, I used the notification letter by FFRF as a reminder during a staff meeting with district principals to communicate to employees that they should always be mindful of any music playing as part of our school proceedings and what the employees may expose our students to in any given circumstance,” Holland wrote. Holland additionally shared that he took the step of going to the elementary school in question and sharing the directive to employees who do the daily welcoming of students at campus, who acknowledged understanding of the directive.

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