A popular high school football coach in Bremerton, WA has been suspended for praying on the field after being warned not to do so by leaders of the school district.
The Blaze reports:
The defiant high school football coach who has been locked in a major battle with a Washington state school district over his on-field prayers has reportedly been placed on paid administrative leave pending further investigation.
The move by Bremerton School District superintendent Aaron Leavell comes after coach Joe Kennedy was warned to stop publicly praying on the 50-yard line after each game — something that Kennedy said he had previously done without incident since 2008.
“Effective immediately, pending further District review of your conduct, you are placed on paid administrative leave from your position as an assistant coach with the Bremerton High School football program,” Level wrote in an October 28 letter, according to conservative commentator Todd Starnes. “You may not participate, in any capacity, in BHS football program activities.”
This letter to Kennedy came just five days after the coach received another note from the superintendent in which the district denied a request for a religious accommodation that would allow him to continue on-field prayers.
That earlier letter, which followed Kennedy’s October 16 decision to once again pray again on the field, threatened discipline and potential firing if the prayer practice continued, according to Kennedy’s lawyers at the Liberty Institute, a conservative legal firm.
While he typically goes on the field to pray alone, students and players often voluntarily join Kennedy — and that is what has sparked controversy and concerns over the separation of church and state.
Coach Kennedy appeared on FOX News two days ago with his lawyer to discuss his case against the district:
(Image:Source)
