PRAYER & PROTEST

Santa Rosa County residents and students appear to be getting frustrated by restrictions stemming from an ACLU lawsuit.

On Memorial Day about 200 students and parents gathered to pray and protest outside Pace High School and Tuesday night around 1,000 gathered inside Pace Assembly of God to let their displeasure be known.

Photos of the students protest at Pace High School; Photos of the community gathering at Pace Assembly of God.

Mary Allen, the Pace Senior Class President who learned on Thursday she would not be able to address those at tonight's graduation, is disappointed but is also looking to help those in the future.

"I went and spoke with Mr. Wyrosdick on Friday about our conflicting views," said Allen. "My concern is not about me not getting to speak, but for next year.

"I asked Mr. Wyrosdick what we needed to do to avoid this again and for some guidelines from the school board so we can avoid this."

Based on Thursday's policy handed down by the school board and attorney Paul Green, only the valedictorian and salutatorian can speak - but not the class president or any other student body representative.

Concerns about how the student body president was elected has come into question since the faculty does have some input in the election.

The only senior class president expected to speak at graduation is Central's Hunter Bondurant will speak as he is also the class valedictorian.

Wyrosdick who handed down the policy is not very happy with the decision himself.

"This causes me a lot of grief," said Wyrosdick following Tuesday's rally at Pace Assembly of God. "This has been very difficult for me as does any decision effecting the kids adversely."

In May, after months of negotiating through the courts, the American Civil Liberties Union won the final chapter of a lawsuit filed against the Santa Rosa County School District last August.

The suit was filed on behalf of two Pace High School students who alleged that school officials regularly promoted religion and offered prayers at school events in violation of their First Amendment rights.

The consent decree has restrictions on matters related to prayer and religion in schools, including graduation.

One issue surrounding the policy is that students such as the student body president and others are considered school officials. If a student did pray, officials would have to stop it, according to the policy.

In other matters related to the litigation:

According to a complaint filed by the ACLU, during a school-day luncheon on Jan. 28 at the dedication of the new Field House at Pace High School, Pace Principal Frank Lay asked the school's athletic director to offer a prayer to bless the food, which he did.

The district superintendent later instructed Lay to "avoid this type of action" as it violates the court injunction.

Lay, who is supporting his students and their right to speak, admits it is hard to teach someone of his years new tricks.

"I was not intentionally trying to violate the consent decree," said Lay. "It is just something you are use to doing and as they say it is hard to teach an old dog new tricks.

"I will work with the superintendent and the school board to do what can be done, but the students earned the right and should get the right to speak."

Lay, who has come under fire for having the Ten Commandments displayed in the hall of Pace High as a historical document and offering a class on religion as an elective, has been advised by the school board that they will not represent him in any further litigation.

School board employee Michelle Winkler, the district employee whom the ACLU is looking to the court to charge with contempt, will be represented by Matthew D. Staver, founder of Liberty Counsel and dean of Liberty University School of Law.

The ACLU filed court documents against Winkler at the first of the month.

The complaint alleges Winkler, an administrative assistant who was asked to offer a "thought for the day" at the Feb. 20 Employee of the Year banquet, asked a district administrator if she could offer a prayer. She was told she could not.

Instead, according to the complaint states, Winkler appeared with her husband, who is not a school district employee, and said he would offer a prayer in her stead.

In response, the complaint states, a March 10 memorandum was sent by a supervisor stating Winkler had no authority to have her husband offer a prayer, and that she should not do so in the future. Winkler refused to acknowledge receipt of the memorandum by signing it, according to the complaint.

The Santa Rosa Press Gazette is working diligently to get the speeches the senior presidents were going to give and is looking to publish them in the June 3 edition.