WASHINGTON (AFP) — A football coach violated a ban on teaching religion in public schools when he joined his players in kneeling and head-bowing rituals before games, a US appeals court ruled Tuesday.
The decision could have national implications and may ultimately affect thousands of schools throughout the United States, many of which are believed to employ coaches who engage in prayer with their teams.
Marcus Borden, a Spanish teacher and coach since 1983 at East Brunswick High School in the eastern state of New Jersey, routinely joined in prayers at team meals and invited his players to drop to one knee in a silent locker-room prayer before kick-off.
In 2005 some parents complained of what they saw as Borden introducing religion into the public school system -- an act banned by the US Constitution which calls for the separation of church and state.