Mesa School Board Reverses Stance On Invocations At School Board MeetingsPosted: 2014-01-03 1-3-14 Randy Hatch
Fellow Patriots,
I knew we could do it. The power of petitioning our government can work. The Mesa School Board has listened to their constituents and are in the process of reinstating prayer before each of their meetings.
About one month ago I was shocked to hear that the Mesa School Board was canceling a 100 year old tradition of holding VOCAL PRAYER before their meetings. They said they had been threatened with a lawsuit and decided on their own to cancel it BEHIND CLOSED DOORS IN AN EXECUTIVE SESSION. I alerted all of you to the change and asked you to respectfully email them about your position on this issue.
Without God's priceless influence we are nothing. We can see the incremental destruction that comes from locking God out of our Schools, our Government, our Country and our Families. Our constitution and republic was founded by inspired men of God and can only be kept safe by a moral and virtuous people.
Some of you emailed the School Board and it made a big difference. Perhaps next time we can get even more participation. Some of the names of those who emailed them are listed in this article by the Arizona Republic.
Please read the article included below:
Thanks to all those who took the time to participate in the process of petitioning our government. There is power in numbers. We must take action like these if we expect to keep our God given rights.
Randy Hatch
----------------------------------------------------------------- Article by the Arizona Republic at www.azcentral.com By Cathryn Creno The Republic | azcentral.com Thu Jan 2, 2014 10:14 AM
The Mesa Public Schools governing board may reconsider a November decision to start meetings with a moment of silence instead of a non-denominational prayer. Board Clerk Mike Hughes said he expects board members to consider reinstating the prayer by inviting a wide range of religious leaders to share their traditions at the start of meetings. Hughes said he does not envision the board returning to its former tradition of having assistants and associate superintendents take turns saying prayers before meetings. “We had fallen out of step,” Hughes said. “We had the same people standing up and saying the same type of prayer over and over. We didn’t have a clear policy about what the prayer is supposed to be.” Until Nov. 12, Mesa was one of the few districts to still feature a prayer on meeting agendas. The Chandler Unified School District ended the practice last year and opted for a moment of reflection after an Arizona School Boards Association law conference suggested that boards avoid prayers to prevent lawsuits. At the November meeting, board President Mike Nichols asked those in attendance to observe a moment of silence. Afterward, he said Mesa schools’ legal counsel had advised the board that if it were to be sued over the prayer said at meetings, the district likely would lose in court. The board had asked its attorney about the prayer because that week, the U.S. Supreme Court heard arguments about whether municipal governments violate the Constitution and endorse religion by opening their meetings with prayers. Many public officials believe a Supreme Court ruling could affect prayer at all levels of government, including school districts. Although the board held no public discussion about canceling the prayer, members have received 20 e-mails from district residents and others who oppose the move. Some excerpts: “Please reconsider reinstating prayer before the school board meetings. It is the foundation of any good institution to ask for God’s guidance, wisdom and strength before meetings that will effect the people of the community.” — Julie Wilson “MPS has always stood for the solid traditional (and, yes, Christian) values that this country was founded on. Unfortunately, the culture that has defined America’s greatness is eroding into political correctness. Please summon up the courage to stand firm. The district needs prayer now more than ever.” — Harry Scott “I’ve been a taxpayer for over 40 years and it is appalling to see intelligent people deem themselves smarter than God ...” — Moneta Murdock “This is not San Francisco or New York or Caracas ... Here we still believe in and, in fact, revere the U.S. Constitution, especially the First Amendment. The only reason I can think of why you are doing so is fear of a lawsuit from the ACLU or its allies. What do you think our Founding Fathers would say about that kind of cowering fear?” — Frank Kessler “If Mesa effectively abandons ‘In God We Trust,’ then when do they cease the Pledge of Allegiance by our students? Enough is enough.” — Dick Meyer Neither district spokeswoman Helen Hollands nor board secretary Alice Swinehart had received comments in support of the moment of silence before district offices closed for winter break on Dec. 23. Hughes said the decision to consider reinstating the prayer has nothing to do with letters he and other board members have received — and it does not have anything to do with their personal beliefs, either. “We need to make sure we are in compliance” with the law, he said. Read the article here: http://www.azcentral.com/community/mesa/articles/20130102mesa-public-schools-reconsider-prayer-board-meetings.html
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