One Catholic student told CBS she has never heard a non-fundamentalist prayer recited. Attorneys with Americans United argue that in their quest to keep official prayer, school administrators in the parish are being aided and abetted by Louisiana lawmakers. They note that last summer the Democrat-controlled legislature overwhelmingly passed a bill designed to reinstate organized prayer, a measure that was later signed into law by the state s Republican governor, Mike Foster. Americans United has asked the federal district court to declare the Louisiana law unconstitutional and also stop the specific practices in Ouachita Parish. AU insists that the school board is on shaky legal ground, noting that no federal court has ever upheld the types of coercive prayer taking place in Monroe.
Government officials have no business interfering in the private religious lives of students.
The lawsuit has rocked the Monroe area and, unfortunately, brought out numerous examples of mean-spirited, vituperative behavior. The two families who filed the case did so anonymously, fearing community reprisals against their children if their names become public. The plaintiffs names remain secret, but that hasn t stopped some members of the community from trying to find out who they are. Last December some local residents began speculating about the identity of the plaintiffs on a website chat room that a local attorney had set up to promote area activities and sports teams. Several participants left anonymous messages on the site s chat room fingering Hans Korrodi, owner of an eatery in West Monroe called Joe Bob s Restaurant.