High School Football and the Prayer Dilemma: What's Allowed?

The Supreme Court recently chose not to review a case about prayer at high school football games. This decision keeps a 25-year-old rule in place, which says student-led prayers at football games are not allowed. The case involved two Christian schools in Florida who wanted to pray over the loudspeaker before a state championship game. The Florida High School Athletic Association (FHSAA) said no, citing a 2000 Supreme Court ruling. The schools argued that this rule violated their rights to free speech and religious freedom. They wanted the Supreme Court to overturn the 2000 decision. But the Supreme Court decided not to take the case, so the old rule stays. The lower courts had already ruled in favor of the FHSAA, saying that using the loudspeaker for prayer would be considered government speech. This all started back in 2015 when the two schools were set to play in the state championship. One school asked to pray over the loudspeaker, but the FHSAA said no. They suggested the schools pray together before the game instead, which they did. The FHSAA said allowing prayer over the loudspeaker could make it seem like the state was promoting religion, which is not allowed. The schools sued, but the courts ruled against them. After the initial ruling, the Florida legislature passed a law allowing schools to make brief opening remarks over the loudspeaker. However, the courts still ruled that pregame speech over the loudspeaker is considered government speech, and the FHSAA has the right to regulate it. The schools appealed to the Supreme Court, arguing that the FHSAA was censoring religious speech. But the Supreme Court decided not to get involved, leaving the lower court's decision in place. This means that for now, student-led prayers over the loudspeaker at football games are still not allowed.