Student Tangles With Police Over Prayer

No one was supposed to pray at Northern High School’s graduation. Student Nick Becker, the American Civil Liberties Union and the state attorney general’s office had persuaded Calvert County officials to observe 30 seconds of silence instead.

The prayer began anyway. Becker walked out and was barred by police from returning.

During the period of silence at Wednesday night’s ceremony, a man began reciting the Lord’s Prayer. Virtually the entire 4,000-member audience joined in.

Becker left, then tried to return, but he was stopped by Maryland State Police. When he tried another door, police threatened arrest and detained him.

“I told the cop I’m getting my diploma,” Becker told the Washington Post. “He said, ‘You’re not going back in.’ He walked me over to the car, put me in the front of the patrol car and said he was going to give me a citation for failing to obey a lawful order.”

Police said Becker may face charges.

Later that night, school officials barred him from attending a school-sponsored cruise around the Baltimore Harbor for which he had already paid $45. They say the money will be refunded.

Prayer has been a part of Northern High’s graduation ceremonies for years. A 17-year-old student, Julie Schenk, planned to deliver an invocation this year as well.

Becker objected, saying prayer doesn’t belong in a public ceremony. The ACLU of Maryland and the attorney general’s office told Calvert officials that prayer at graduation violates the constitutional separation of church and state.

Schenk agreed to ask for a 30-second “time for reflection” that did not mention God. When she did so, the audience began to pray aloud.

“This is a churchgoing community, and no one in Annapolis or Washington, D.C., is going to tell us when and where we can pray,” said Linda Kelley, president of the Calvert County Commission, who joined in the prayer.

“The school administrators did the legal thing and complied with the law,” she said. “But the audience took this one over.”

Calvert County school policy bars any student who leaves a school event from returning.

“We didn’t want him to disrupt the ceremony,” said State Police Lt. George McKeon, adding that Becker was released to his parents.

Calvert County Supt. James Hook said he was disturbed by the events.

“A moment of silence should have been respected,” Hook said. “It shows disrespect for the young lady who asked for silence and for the young man who requested that the prayer not be done.”

ACLU spokeswoman Suzanne Smith said detaining Becker was tantamount to arresting him.

“The real loser here is the Constitution and the right of people to express dissent,” she said.