Today, the U.S. Supreme Court heard the case of a high school football coach whose prayers at the end of games launched a years‐long legal battle over religion in public schools. It continues the battle between religion and public schooling we have seen since public schooling Day One, and illustrates the impossibility of truly neutral public schooling.
Kennedy v. Bremerton School District is about Joseph Kennedy, an assistant coach for the Bremerton High School football team in Washington state, who started praying by himself on the 50‐yard line at the conclusion of games and was eventually joined by players. Kennedy did not require students to pray with him, but at least one player said he felt pressure to join because Kennedy was in a position of authority, and he feared losing playing time. In 2015, the school district asked Kennedy to cease praying and did not rehire him when he refused. He eventually sued, and the case has been in litigation ever since.
