Let's be clear. After games the coach adopted a practice of engaging in private prayer. Players have been voluntarily joining him in this. There is no coercion, no requirement to participate, no "unConstitutional" official leadership by a state functionary. No matter. Prayer, even voluntary, cannot be allowed. Punishment must follow.

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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.

Prior to the move to place Kennedy on administrative leave, Mike Berry, senior counsel for the Liberty Institute, told TheBlaze that the coach is prepared to sue under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act, claiming that his rights have been violated."

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http://www.theblaze.com/stories/2015/10/...ng-after-games/

There is a certain amount of irony in this whole affair. Bremerton, WA, is home to a large American Naval base. So what we have are any number of the children of military personnel who are dedicated to protecting our freedoms being denied the right to exercise their freedom of religion. Recall these prayer services are strictly voluntary but it matters not.

The United States of America, 2015.

From the story:

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The announcement came as a group of robe-wearing, incense-spreading Satanists planned to attend Thursday's game. Senior class president Abe Bartlett said Wednesday that he was one of a few students who invited the Satanic Temple of Seattle, saying it was an effort to get the school district to clarify its policy.

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