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Show Low board pauses invocation, begins meetings with moment of silence after Freedom From Religion Foundation letter
Summary
After receiving a letter from the Freedom From Religion Foundation, the Show Low Unified School District board replaced its traditional opening prayer with a minute of silence and scheduled a legal review and study session to consider options for future meetings.
Lista Schultz, asked by the board to run the Oct. 10 meeting in President John Larson’s absence, told attendees the district had received a letter from the Freedom From Religion Foundation asking the board to suspend its long-standing opening prayer. The board observed a one-minute moment of silence instead of an invocation and completed the Pledge of Allegiance, led by Kelly Boer.
"We recently received a letter from an organization called the Freedom From Religion Foundation petitioning the Show Low School Board to suspend our long-held practice of praying at the start of our Schoolboard meetings," Schultz said, and added the board was "evaluating all of our options regarding this matter." Vice President Mr. Wyatt opened the meeting and confirmed President John Larson was attending by phone.
Board members later placed the prayer issue on the agenda for an upcoming study session and asked legal counsel to attend. In that discussion the board requested comparative information about whether other local government entities offer prayers before meetings and asked for clarification on any possible legal or financial penalties. "I would also like legal counsel to be involved in that conversation to make sure we can all be on the same page," a board member said.
The board did not take a formal policy vote on the invocation at the Oct. 10 meeting; instead it scheduled follow-up consideration at the November work session that was discussed near the meeting's end.
