Get AI Briefings, Transcripts & Alerts on Local & National Government Meetings — Forever.
Public commenter tells Catawba board invocation may violate Constitution
Loading...
Summary
During public comment, Lawrence Wedeman told the board that its invocation and policy wording may contravene the First Amendment and asked the board to clarify the purpose of convocation; the board offered no response during the session.
At the start of public comment, Lawrence Wedeman addressed the Catawba County Board of Education and challenged the board's invocation practice as inconsistent with the Establishment Clause of the U.S. Constitution.
Wedeman cited the First Amendment, read portions of it aloud and asked the board to explain the purpose of the invocation and the meaning of "solemnize" as it appears in board policy 2.315. "Establishment of religion is unconstitutional," Wedeman said, adding he believed the invocation language functioned to "establish God as an integral part of the board meetings, which, of course, is blatantly unconstitutional." He told the board he would offer a civics "refresher" and said he had not received a response to prior queries from the board on the matter.
April Underwood, who facilitated the public-comment period and read the rules for speakers, introduced the public-comment segment but no board member provided a direct response to Wedeman's remarks during the meeting. The chair then moved on to the consent agenda.
Wedeman's assertion was presented as a public-comment claim; the board did not debate or respond during the session, so the claim remained unresolved in the meeting record.
