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Federal Court Rejects Prayers at School Staff Meetings NewsMax.com WiresLITTLE ROCK, Ark. – A school district may not offer prayers at mandatory staff meetings, regardless of whether the teacher who complained about them is present, a federal appeals court ruled Tuesday. The 8th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals said the U.S. District Court in Little Rock was right to issue an injunction against prayers during staff meetings at the DeValls Bluff School District, but did so for the wrong reasons. Story Continues Below The St. Louis-based appeals court said an injunction benefiting Steve Warnock, an art teacher and school bus driver, should have been granted because the DeValls Bluff School District endorsed a religion, not just because Warnock was offended. "We believe that prayers at mandatory teacher meetings and in-service training conveys ... a decisive endorsement," the appeals court wrote. "It is the government's endorsement of a particular religious message that constitutes the constitutional violation here, not the effects of official prayers on Mr. Warnock's psyche," the court wrote. Warnock sued the district in 1999, saying it openly promoted Christianity and that district officials harassed him. The appeals court did agree that that Superintendent Charles Archer, teachers and pupils could wear religious jewelry and T-shirts under First Amendment rights to free speech and free exercise. The appeals court upheld a $1,000 award to Warnock, rejecting the teacher's claim that he should receive more money because he was harassed after complaining. It said other "perceived slights and personal fears" did not rise to a constitutional violation.
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