U.S. Judge Halts School’s Ban on Audible Prayer
A federal judge has ordered school officials to let a kindergartner say grace out loud before eating lunch.
Kayla Broadus, 5, was stopped from praying with friends on Jan. 15 at her elementary school in Wilton, 36 miles north of Albany.
The girl’s lawyer argued that it is her 1st Amendment right to say grace, but the school system said the prayer, because it was audible, violated the constitutional separation of church and state.
U.S. District Judge David Hurd issued a temporary restraining order that said the school may not interfere with the girl’s praying. He set a hearing for Feb. 15.
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