Unconstitutional School Board Prayer at Bremen Public Schools
Parents at Bremen Public Schools notified us of ongoing unconstitutional prayers at their school board meetings. NIA, in collaboration with American Atheists and the Freedom From Religion Foundation, sent a letter to the board asking them to refrain from including prayers as part of future meetings and to uphold the rights of conscience embodied in our First Amendment.
The parent who reported the state church violation said, “These mandatory Christian prayers are an ongoing issue, and they’re actually the reason I’m finally fine putting myself out there to challenge it. They’re so brazen.” And NIA agrees. Students and parents have the right—and often have reason—to participate in school board meetings. Requiring nonreligious citizens to make a public showing of their nonbelief by not participating or else to display deference toward a religious sentiment in which they do not believe is coercive, embarrassing, and intimidating.
This is not our first report on Bremen Public Schools. In 2020 we had a report of a teacher reading from the Bible during class. That teacher has since resigned and taken on pastoral work as their full-time job.
“They pray every single time. This wasn’t a one-time thing. Forcing their religion on students, parents, and staff is embedded in the school culture. They've gotten away with it for so long,” said a parent of two high school students.
Board members are free to pray privately or worship on their own time in their own way. By praying at official meetings, the board lends its power and prestige to religion, amounting to a governmental endorsement. Prayer also alienates non-religious Americans who make up the fastest growing segment of the US population by religious identification—almost 30 percent of the population is nonreligious.
The Bremen School Board is in violation of the constitutional requirement of religious neutrality in public schools. NIA is requesting that the board immediately refrain from including prayers as part of future meetings to uphold the rights of conscience embodied in our First Amendment.
UPDATE
Bremen Public Schools has stopped performing an opening prayer at their school board meetings. They now open the meeting and get right to business. We applaud the board for upholding the constitutional protections of everyone by maintaining an atmosphere of religious neutrality and the parents and staff who brought this violation to our attention.Northern Indiana Atheists is a nonprofit established to fight state/church violations on a local level and defend the rights of atheists and other marginalized communities across Northern Indiana.
Membership is open to atheists and our allies who share our vision for a government that represents all citizens equally and our passion for serving our community. Your membership and donations amplify our voice and makes our impact even stronger. Become a member today at NorthernIndianaAtheists.com.