Click to Login or Sign Up

Baptist Message

"Helping Louisiana Baptists Impact the World For Christ"

Turning point (Cartoon: Fletch) Thorough job (Cartoon: Joe McKeever) Shark talk (Cartoon: Preacher’s Kids)
  • John 3:16
  • About
  • Advertise
  • Archive
  • Cartoons
    • Joe McKeever
    • Beyond the Ark
    • Church of the Covered Dish
    • Fletch
    • Preacher’s Kids
  • Contact
  • Louisiana
  • U.S. & Intl
  • Facts & Finds
  • Culture & Society
  • Editorial

Cambridge Christian School students praying at high school football game, per their tradition (Photo credit: Beth Dare Photography, courtesy of Liberty Institute)

Florida Christian high school football team fights back against prohibited prayer at championship game

October 24, 2017

ATLANTA, Ga. —  First Liberty Institute and Greenberg Traurig, P.A. filed a brief with the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit on behalf of their client, Cambridge Christian School (CCS)—a private Christian school in Tampa, Florida on October 21.

In 2015, the Florida High School Athletic Association (FHSAA) forbade CCS from praying over the loudspeaker prior to the Citrus Bowl ahead of the state championship football game, even though both participating teams were Christian schools and had a tradition of prayer before games.

In February, a federal district judge sided with the FHSAA.

“By banning two private Christian schools from praying over the loudspeaker before a football game while allowing other, non-religious messages to come across the same speaker, the FHSAA is telling high school kids that prayer in public is wrong,” said Jeremy Dys, Deputy General Counsel for First Liberty. “We hope the Eleventh Circuit will recognize this for what it is: an assault on the First Amendment and the censorship of religious speech—because it is religious—of two private, Christian schools.”

Prior to the 2015 championship game, CCS asked to continue their tradition of opening the game with prayer over the loudspeaker, a long-standing tradition that allows students on the field and their parents and fans in the stands to unite prior to kickoff. The FHSAA refused, suggesting that because the stadium was city-owned and the FHSAA a state agency, it would violate the Constitution to allow two private Christian schools to pray over a state-owned microphone for less than a minute.

“First, they told religious students that if you want to pray in school, then they have to attend a private, religious school. They did, but even then they have been told they cannot pray in public,” said Dys. “Where else do these religious students have to go? Must they now form their own league in order to exercise the rights guaranteed to them under the Constitution?”

To learn more, visit FirstLiberty.org/Cambridge.

Comments

Editorial

Texas tragedy coverage offers opportunities to minister, serve

Two things can be true at the same time. I never intended to become a fire chaplain. “It was never on my Bingo card,” as they say. For me, it came along with the job. I was going to be the pastor of the area church, so I became the chaplain for the volunteer fire department at the end of the street. Speaking … Read More

Search

  • Trending
  • Recent
  • Must Read

Recent

Texas tragedy coverage offers opportunities to minister, serve

Virginia court blocks ‘conversion therapy’ ban in blow to transgender industry

DOJ sues California for allowing ‘transgender’ men to compete against women

Must Read

President Trump: ‘We love you, God, and we love our great military. Protect them.’

Foundation Executive Director
Jeffrey Steed to retire

Speaker Johnson to Calvary students:

Live to make an ‘impact’

Copyright © 2025 · News Pro Theme 2.1 On Genesis Framework · WordPress · Log in