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Published by the Freedom From Religion Foundation, Inc.
Vol. 40 No. 08 Oct 2023

FFRF counters praying coach’s theocratic antics

Billboard FFRF placed near Bremerton High School.

The Freedom From Religion Foundation issued a strong response to a disturbing publicity stunt on the part of prayerful Bremerton (Wash.) High School Coach Joe Kennedy, which included placing a billboard near the school.

Kennedy returned to the Bremerton High School football field on Sept. 1 — accompanied by a blaze of publicity. Hyping his comeback, First Liberty (the Christian nationalist legal outfit behind him) launched the “First Freedom Challenge: Take a Knee with Coach Kennedy” campaign, which called on “Americans nationwide to take a knee in personal, private prayer on that day.”

In an appropriate counter to such cynical public relation ploys, FFRF placed a billboard that reads: “Wishing Bremerton High School a safe, secular & successful school year,” adding, “Know Your Rights” and offering a link: FFRF.us/rights. The billboard was located about a two-minute drive from the high school and was up through Sept. 24.

As the FFRF warned in its amicus brief after Kennedy took his fight to pray at the 50-yard line to the U.S. Supreme Court, Kennedy never really intended to go back to coaching. Kennedy resigned from his assistant coaching position at Bremerton High School after just the first game, confirming that his motive was to performatively promote religion rather than coach students.

FFRF has been engaged in a series of actions ever since the Kennedy v. Bremerton decision came out in June of last year, infamously ignoring the rights of students by siding with a public school coach who insisted on abusing his position of authority to proselytize. FFRF’s campaign includes an online ‘Know Your Rights” resource webpage and brochure for students. FFRF’s website also offers a handy wallet-size card for students to print out.

Meanwhile, FFRF’s team of attorneys have informed public school administrators that they still have an obligation to respect the rights of students to a public school education free from school-sponsored religion, even in the aftermath of the Kennedy v. Bremerton judgment. FFRF is making administrators in such instances aware that this decision does not give carte blanche to public school employees, including coaches, to engage in religious activity with their players or other subordinates, nor does it allow school districts to impose prayer on all students, parents, and community members gathered for school-sponsored events.