Photo by Balint Mendlik on Unsplash

The Freedom From Religion Foundation is urging the Valley View Public Schools system to immediately put a stop to a district archery coach’s practice of leading team members in prayers.

A concerned district parent informed the state/church watchdog that the archery coach at Valley View Intermediate School has a pattern and practice of leading students in Christian prayer before tournaments and official archery events, such as a recent awards ceremony. Audio provided to FFRF from this ceremony confirmed that the coach and what appeared to be a coach-selected student led the entire audience, including other students, in an explicitly Christian prayer. 

The parent who reported this unconstitutional practice explained that they are not religious and that they are “more than disappointed” that their child has been “exposed to such blatant proselytizing.” 

FFRF has written to the district to stand up for students’ and parents’ rights of conscience.

“Here, the archery coach is undeniably pushing her personal religious beliefs onto students by coercing the entire archery team to participate in prayers as part of official school-sponsored activities,” FFRF Staff Attorney Sammi Lawrence writes. “The coach is blatantly crossing the constitutional line and violating student-athletes’ First Amendment rights.”

Student-athletes are especially susceptible to coercion, and the relationship between student-athletes and their coaches is inherently ripe for coercion. Students know that their coaches control their positions on the team, including who plays in each game. When coaches lead students in prayer or direct students to lead their teammates in prayer, students will no doubt feel that participating in the prayer is essential to avoiding punishment, pleasing their coach, and being viewed as a team player. They are unlikely to speak up against their coach pushing religion on them, even if they do not feel comfortable. It is unrealistic as well as unconstitutional to make students choose between allowing their school coach to violate their constitutional rights or openly dissenting — with the risk of punishment and further retaliation.

School-sponsored prayer also needlessly marginalizes students, such as our complainant’s child, who are nonreligious, or those who are members of minority faiths. Statistically, nearly half of Americans born after 1996 are nonreligious.

FFRF asserts that to protect students’ First Amendment rights, Valley View Public Schools must immediately investigate and ensure that the Valley View Intermediate School archery coach ceases leading students in prayer and assigning students to lead other students in prayer.

“FFRF has long believed that students should never feel they have to pray to play,” FFRF Co-President Annie Laurie Gaylor says. “District sports coaches are well aware of the position and influence they hold. Students’ rights must be protected from coercive religious practices, especially when they feel participation influences their standing on the team.” 

The Freedom From Religion Foundation is a national nonprofit organization with over 41,000 members and several chapters across the country, including hundreds of members and a chapter in Arkansas. Its purposes are to protect the constitutional principle of separation between state and church, and to educate the public on matters relating to nontheism.

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