Since December 2024, when Charlotte Joyce became board chair, the school board has begun most meetings with overtly evangelical Christian prayers. Previous Chair Darryl Willie opened each meeting with a \u201cthought of the day,\u201d usually from a student.<\/p>\n
In its letter, the Madison, Wisconsin<\/a>-based Freedom From Religion Foundation called the board\u2019s \u201cneedless insertion of invocations\u201d a violation of the board\u2019s own policy and said the practice is \u201cintimidating, divisive, and coercive.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cOut of respect for the First Amendment and the diversity of the Duval County Public Schools community, we urge the Board to cease opening its meetings with invocations,\u201d FFRF staff attorney Samantha Lawrence wrote.<\/p>\n Lawrence tells Jacksonville Today that until the foundation receives a response from Duval Schools, it will be \u201cconsidering all of our options.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThe best course of action would be for the Board to focus on doing its job and cease its invocation practice altogether,\u201d Lawrence says.<\/p>\n Duval Schools\u2019 offices are closed for Spring Break. A request for comment sent to William Spillias, the city of Jacksonville general counsel assigned to represent Duval Schools, was not returned before this story\u2019s publication.<\/p>\n The Washington, D.C.-based Americans United for Separation of Church and State sent its letter to the board on Nov. 25.<\/p>\n \u201cWe have received a complaint that the Duval County School Board routinely opens its meetings with prayer by invited clergy,\u201d that letter read. \u201cThe students and employees of the Duval County Public Schools subscribe to a variety of faiths, and the inclusion of prayer at school board meetings disrespects those beliefs.\u201d<\/p>\n Americans United tells Jacksonville Today the district responded and indicated it views itself as a legislative body, and is therefore allowed to host invocations.<\/p>\n Though it disagrees with that assertion, the advocacy group\u2019s lawyers say they\u2019re \u201cmonitoring the board\u2019s actions\u201d and are considering next steps with the person who lodged the complaint. <\/p>\n \u201cIncorporating prayers or any other religious content into a public school board meeting is a clear violation of religious freedom,\u201d staff attorney Ian Smith says. \u201cDuval County students, families and staff should not be forced to choose between remaining true to their personal religious beliefs and participating in the decision-making process of their own public schools.\u201d<\/p>\n School board meeting minutes show that for the first several months of Joyce\u2019s tenure as chair, students were invited to give the invocations. Beginning in June, clergy from local houses of worship have led the opening prayers instead. All of them have been men, and all have come from Christian churches; no other religious traditions have so far been represented.<\/p>\n Mike Ludwick, who made the complaint to the Freedom From Religion Foundation, tells Jacksonville Today he originally reached out to Joyce with an offer that his church, the Buckman Bridge Unitarian Universalist church, could lead an invocation. Joyce did not respond. <\/p>\n Joyce also did not respond to Jacksonville Today\u2019s request for comment before this story\u2019s publication.<\/p>\n This story was originally published by Jacksonville Today<\/a> and distributed through a partnership with The Associated Press.<\/p>\n
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