LM June-July 2022_hi

LegalCorner

Chad Watkins IASA Associate Director/General Counsel

To help school leaders navigate these uncertain times, IASA has partnered with leading law firms throughout Illinois to provide districts with critical guidance during the 2022–23 school year. In every issue of Leadership Matters, the IASA Legal Corner will showcase an article written by attorneys who specialize in legal matters related to education. It is our hope you find the content insightful, timely and helpful in addressing the critical matters you face.

This month, Franczek P.C. writes about the ruling in favor of a football coach who prayed on field after games. The authors are Jennifer Smith and Nicki Bazer. As a reminder, the articles are provided for informational purposes only, and you are advised to contact your district counsel for legal advice. Click on the link below to access the article.

Supreme Court rules in favor of football coachwho prayed on field after games

On Monday June 27, the Supreme Court issued their ruling in the case Kennedy v. Bremerton School District. (We previously reported on this case here, here, and here.) In a 6-3 decision penned by Justice Neil Gorsuch, the conservative majority held that the school district violated a coach’s First Amendment free exercise and free speech rights by disciplining the coach for praying at the 50-yard line immediately after games.

Considered a key test of the separation between church and state, the Kennedy case highlights the tensions among the First Amendment’s protections of free speech and religious expression and its prohibition against the establishment of religion by state actors, including public schools. This decision also marks the Court’s second... (continue reading)...

19 LM Summer 2022