Carol Blevins used her allotted public‑comment time at the July 22 board meeting to request that she be permitted to pray the Lord’s Prayer during public comment at future meetings. Blevins referenced a case handled by First Liberty that she said involved a Ventura, California resident (Taryn Swan) who was stopped while praying at a public meeting; she described First Liberty’s position that public‑comment time is a public forum in which individuals may recite prayer or express religious speech provided remarks are not threatening or obscene.

Blevins told the board she had made a previous request on June 24 and that she was again asking the district to allow the Lord’s Prayer during public comment. She provided First Liberty’s contact as a resource for board members and requested district accommodation for prayer within the rules for public comment.

Board procedure: The board’s public‑comment rules were read aloud at the meeting (sign‑in, three‑minute limit, reminders about personnel concerns and procedures). The board did not take action on Blevins’s request during the meeting; policy or administrative follow‑up would be required if the board chose to change public‑comment rules or issue guidance about religious speech in the public forum.

Why it matters: The request raises a First Amendment question that boards commonly handle through written public‑comment rules and, in some districts, through policy statements that balance free‑speech protections with time, place and manner restrictions.