AJC Files Brief Defending Church-State Separation in Public Schools
December 22, 2006 - New York - The American Jewish Committee today filed an amicus brief with the Third Circuit Court of Appeals in the case of Borden v. East Brunswick School District, which asks whether a public school district is permitted to prohibit a high school football coach from praying with students. The coach has argued that he should be able to "take a knee" and bow his head with his players before each game.
AJC's brief argues that the school district was correct to put a stop to Borden's conduct so as to avoid violating the Constitution and that in doing so did not violate his rights. Moreover, the brief points out that the impact of this case goes well beyond simply a legal determination of whether the proposed conduct would constitute a violation of the Establishment Clause.
"This case is significant because it will shape how students of minority faiths perceive their position, not only in school, but in society at large," says the brief.
By detailing the ostracization that students of minority faiths have experienced as a result of Borden's conduct and the ensuing controversy, the brief demonstrates why continued vigilance regarding officially-sanctioned prayer in public schools is so important.
AJC joined the coalitional brief filed by the ACLU that put Coach Borden's conduct into the context of his 23-year history of actively participating in and encouraging prayer at the team's regular pre-game dinners and in the locker room. In fact, after the school district instructed Borden to cease this conduct, Borden urged some of his players, more than once, to poll the team as to whether they wanted to continue the prayer.
Ari M. Gordon Department of Interreligious Affairs American Jewish Committee 165 E56th St. New York, NY 10022 (212) 751-4000 x266 www.ajc.org www.engagingamerica.org