Groups Say Decision in Favor of Praying Coach Could Harm Students

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Groups Say Decision in Favor of Praying Coach Could Harm Students

The U.S. Supreme¹ Court ruled last week that a prayer led by a high school football coach following games is constitutionally protected free speech.

While some praised the decision as a win for religious freedom, others feared the decision could be harmful to non-Christian² students.

The court ruled 6-3 for the coach with the conservative justices in the majority and the liberals in dissent³. The case, Kennedy v. Bremerton School District, was the latest in a series of rulings in support of Christian plaintiffs. A plaintiff is a person who brings a legal action against another in a court of law.

The case forced the justices to balance the religious and free speech rights of teachers and coaches with the rights of students not to feel pressured into joining in religious practices.

The coach, named Joseph Kennedy, would lead a prayer in the middle of the field after football games. He was a coach at Bremerton High School in the northwestern state of Washington. The school asked him not to pray with players while still on duty as a coach after the games. But he continued to do so. The head coach later proposed not to bring back Kennedy.

The liberal justices in the minority said there was evidence that the students felt pressured to join Kennedy's prayers. They argued the prayers permitted him to include his "personal religious beliefs into a school event."

But the justices in the majority pointed⁴ out that the coach's prayers came after the games were over. They said the prayers were at a time when Kennedy was not responsible for students and was free to do other things.

Justice Neil Gorsuch wrote for the majority in the ruling. He argued it would be wrong to treat everything public school teachers and coaches say and do as speech open to government control. If that were true, "a school could fire a Muslim teacher for wearing a headscarf in the classroom or prohibit a Christian aide from praying quietly over her lunch in the cafeteria," he wrote.

Dissenting⁵ Justice Sonya Sotomayor argued that "This decision does a disservice to schools and the young citizens they serve, as well as to our Nation's longstanding commitment to the separation of church and state."

The First Amendment⁶ of the U.S. Constitution protects freedom of speech. It also bans Congress from making laws that establish a religion or prevent people from exercising their religion.

Thomas Jefferson served as the country's third president. He wrote in an 1802 letter to a religious organization that the clause represents a "wall of separation" between church and state.

The Bremerton School District said in a statement that the court's decision undermines the separation required by the Constitution. The school said that it had "followed the law and acted to protect the religious freedom of all students and their families."

The lawyer who represented Kennedy said it would permit the coach "to finally return to the place he belongs – coaching football and quietly praying by himself after the game."

Reactions from religious groups

Thirty-four religious groups in the Bremerton, Washington area filed a "friend of the court" brief before last week's decision. The groups include Muslim, Jewish, Hindu, and several different Christian movements. They said Kennedy's actions pressured students into joining him in prayers.

Jewish and Muslim groups warned that the decision could harm the religious rights of non-Christian students.

The National Council for Jewish Women, or NJW, argued that the court's decision brought down the wall between religion and state. The group added, "the impact on people — especially children, who practice a minority religion or no religion — cannot be overstated."

Emma Melton works for the Council on American-Islamic Relations, or CAIR, a Muslim civil rights group. She said in a statement that the "decision further alienates⁸ Muslim students, who are already disproportionately impacted by bullying¹⁰, harassment¹¹, and discrimination in school."

Edward Ahmed Mitchell is a top official with CAIR. He told EducationWeek that the decision needs to be enforced equally.

"We know if a Muslim teacher does what this coach did, it could spark a very different reaction, but he or she has the right to do it now."

"Will this be equally applied¹² to all people?" he asked.

Words in This Story

coach — n. a person who teaches and trains an athlete or performer

dissent — n. a statement by a judge giving reasons why the judge does not agree with the decision made by the other judges in a court case

fire — v. to dismiss from a job

commitment — n. a promise to do or give something

alienate⁷ — v. to cause to feel that she or he no longer belongs in a particular group, society, etc.

disproportionately — adj. having or showing a difference that is not fair, reasonable, or expected

bully⁹ — v. to frighten, hurt, or threaten

spark — v. an action, occurrence, etc., that causes something larger to happen

1 supreme   

adj.极度的，最重要的；至高的，最高的

参考例句：

• It was the supreme moment in his life.那是他一生中最重要的时刻。
• He handed up the indictment to the supreme court.他把起诉书送交最高法院。

2 Christian   

adj.基督教徒的；n.基督教徒

参考例句：

• They always addressed each other by their Christian name.他们总是以教名互相称呼。
• His mother is a sincere Christian.他母亲是个虔诚的基督教徒。

3 dissent   

n./v.不同意，持异议

参考例句：

• It is too late now to make any dissent.现在提出异议太晚了。
• He felt her shoulders gave a wriggle of dissent.他感到她的肩膀因为不同意而动了一下。

4 pointed   

adj.尖的，直截了当的

参考例句：

• He gave me a very sharp pointed pencil.他给我一支削得非常尖的铅笔。
• She wished to show Mrs.John Dashwood by this pointed invitation to her brother.她想通过对达茨伍德夫人提出直截了当的邀请向她的哥哥表示出来。

5 dissenting   

adj.不同意的

参考例句：

• He can't tolerate dissenting views. 他不能容纳不同意见。
• A dissenting opinion came from the aunt . 姑妈却提出不赞同的意见。

6 amendment   

n.改正，修正，改善，修正案

参考例句：

• The amendment was rejected by 207 voters to 143.这项修正案以207票对143票被否决。
• The Opposition has tabled an amendment to the bill.反对党已经就该议案提交了一项修正条款。

7 alienate   

vt.使疏远，离间；转让(财产等)

参考例句：

• His attempts to alienate the two friends failed because they had complete faith.他离间那两个朋友的企图失败了，因为他们彼此完全信任。
• We'd better not alienate ourselves from the colleagues.我们最好还是不要与同事们疏远。

8 alienates   

v.使疏远( alienate的第三人称单数 )；使不友好；转让；让渡（财产等）

参考例句：

• The new teacher alienates the children by behaving prissily. 这位新老师因表现拘谨而疏远了学生。 来自互联网
• What alienates him from the house? 什么东西使他远离这所房子呢？ 来自互联网

9 bully   

n.恃强欺弱者，小流氓；vt.威胁，欺侮

参考例句：

• A bully is always a coward.暴汉常是懦夫。
• The boy gave the bully a pelt on the back with a pebble.那男孩用石子掷击小流氓的背脊。

10 bullying   

v.恐吓，威逼( bully的现在分词 )；豪；跋扈

参考例句：

• Many cases of bullying go unreported . 很多恐吓案件都没有人告发。
• All cases of bullying will be severely dealt with. 所有以大欺小的情况都将受到严肃处理。 来自《简明英汉词典》

11 harassment   

n.骚扰，扰乱，烦恼，烦乱

参考例句：

• She often got telephone harassment at night these days.这些天她经常在夜晚受到电话骚扰。
• The company prohibits any form of harassment.公司禁止任何形式的骚扰行为。

12 applied   

adj.应用的；v.应用，适用

参考例句：

• She plans to take a course in applied linguistics.她打算学习应用语言学课程。
• This cream is best applied to the face at night.这种乳霜最好晚上擦脸用。