ACLU Says School Cannot Avoid Prayer Ban By "Spinning Off" Commencement

Earlier this month, the ACLU of Nebraska announced that it had sent a letter (full text) to the Superintendent of the Lakeview Community Schools in Columbus, Nebraska demanding an end to prayers at high school graduation ceremonies. As reported yesterday by New American, the high school has an unusual justification for the practice. Ten years ago when the ACLU questioned prayer at the school's graduation ceremonies, the school "spun off" graduation ceremonies to the parents for them to run, hoping thereby to turn graduation into a private event at which prayer is permissible. However, the ACLU's current letter contends that the school "may not circumvent ... basic constitutional prohibitions by enlisting other private groups to present religious messages to students."