JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — The Duval County School Board has been issued a cease-and-desist letter by the Freedom From Religion Foundation, a nonprofit that specializes in protecting the separation of church and state.
The letter was issued on March 13 after a community member reported DCPS beginning its board meeting with invocations, according to the letter. It directly addresses the board chair, Charlotte Joyce.
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The letter states, “While school board policy 2.26(4)(b) states that Board agendas include an ‘Opening Message or Thought of the Day,’ recent Board agendas instead list an ‘Invocation or Thought of the Day.” According to the cease-and-desist, this practice has been going on for several years.
The FFRF argues that this practice is intimidating, divisive, unnecessary and a violation of the First Amendment’s Establishment Clause.
“Their job is to govern the schools, not to insert prayer into meetings and promote their personal religion,” said Sammi Lawrence, an attorney with the foundation.
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Lawrence says that FFRF sends out approximately 600 cease-and-desist letters around the U.S. per year. Many of them, she said, do not end up in a lawsuit; however, one is a possibility if DCPS does not end its religious practice at board meetings.
We reached out to DCPS for comment, but were unable to reach them due to spring break. We also reached out to the chair and vice chair and are awaiting a response.
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