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Public commenter urges return of prayer and Ten Commandments in schools
Summary
A member of the public, Daniel Pond, used the meetings public-comment period to argue Christianity should play a central role in public education and urged the board to "put the Ten Commandments back into our schools."
During the public-comment period at the MSD of Martinsville board meeting, Daniel Pond, who identified himself as an educator and provided his address on the record, urged the board to make Christianity, prayer and biblical references central to the public-school experience.
Pond referenced historical materials, including Thomas Jeffersons letter to the Danbury Baptists, and argued the phrase "separation of church and state" was not intended to remove religion from the public square. He also stated that "the Supreme Court overturned the Lemon Law, Lemon versus Curtsman, as unconstitutional" and concluded his remarks by saying, "Put the Ten Commandments back into our schools without shame and not on a back lot." The remarks were delivered under the district's public-comment policy (policy 0167.3).
No board members recorded a formal response on the record after Pond's comments during the meeting. The board clerk had reminded speakers of the policy requirement that complaints against individual employees must be submitted in writing.
The district's public-comment rule and the absence of a board reply on the record are reflected in the minutes the board will publish following the meeting.
