To pray or not to pray: WS/FCS adopts moment of silence to begin meetings despite protests

More than a dozen people addressed the Winston-Salem/Forsyth County School Board Tuesday night asking members to bring back the practice of praying at the start of meetings. The board began offering moments of silence instead back in May. 

The switch came after the district received a letter from the national nonprofit, Freedom From Religion Foundation.  

The organization called the practice of opening meetings with Christian prayers unconstitutional. Since then, the board has opted to begin with motivational quotes and moments of silence. 

But board member Robert Barr requested to reintroduce the issue at their meeting on Tuesday. 

“It concerns me that a long-standing practice of Winston-Salem/Forsyth County school boards in the past of praying non-sectarian prayers could be eliminated tonight because of one complaint," Barr said. "This makes us look weak and compliant.”

Ashley Wallace, a parent in the district, was one of several speakers advocating for continued prayer at the start of meetings.  

“No one is being forced to pray. You are free not to pray," Wallace said. "Why are we taking away the rights of so many who benefit from prayer, for someone who can just choose not to pray? Where is the freedom for religion?”

Some speakers said it was their first time attending a school board meeting, but felt strongly on the issue. Others spoke in support of a moment of silence, arguing that it allows for people of all different faiths to pray or reflect in their own way. 

“I would like to believe that the Lord would rather all of us reflect and speak more on pertinent issues we face every day in our schools, than spend 30 minutes worrying about a tiny moment of a meeting that many here have admitted to never having attended before," said Forsyth County Association of Educators President Jenny Easter.

The school board ultimately voted 6 to 3 to continue with a moment of silence before meetings rather than prayer. The ‘no’ votes belonged to board members Barr, Susan Miller and Steve Wood. 

Amy Diaz covers education for WFDD in partnership with Report For America. You can follow her on Twitter at @amydiaze.