Parents, officials shrug at wrestling team’s prayers

Policies of area schools’ athletic teams vary
Monday, January 17, 2005
BY JAMES BRIGGS
News Sports Reporter

Clad in sweat-soaked shirts, shorts and socks, 25 high school wrestlers gather on a dusty mat near a cafeteria window at Lincoln High School.

For more than two hours they have strained, stretched and tortured their bodies. But now, they sit together, slumped over, with their heads buried between their knees, praying for safety, healing and a strong performance.

At a time when the battle for separation of church and state rages in courtrooms throughout the United States, the Lincoln wrestling team prays quietly – a tradition that wrestlers, parents and coach Daren Schaller say they want to continue.

“It confirms our team is unified, “said Tom Nuttall, a senior wrestler at Lincoln.

Since Schaller became coach four years ago, he has invited wrestlers to pray with him after practices and before meets. No one is required to participate, Schaller said, but all 25 wrestlers do.

“I started praying by myself for the team at practice, “Schaller said. “Others started joining me, asking me to pray over them.”

Although the tradition has not been challenged at Lincoln, coaches at other schools, like Tecumseh High School, have been told to stop leading team prayers, even if participation is voluntary.

Schaller knows that by praying with his team at Lincoln, a public school, he is walking on a fine line of appropriate behavior.

The U.S. Supreme Court has repeatedly ruled against public school prayer, most recently in the Santa Fe Independent School District v. Doe decision in 2000. The court ruled 6-3 that the student-led invocation at football games violated the First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution because the prayer was led by a student-elected chaplain and so represented an endorsement of religion.

Yet the 2001 No Child Left Behind Act includes protections for student-led prayer and requires schools to verify that their policies do not prohibit individual religious expression.

So prayer continues in high schools and colleges throughout the country, with administrators deciding what is acceptable.

The Board Policy Handbook for Lincoln Consolidated Schools says “no religious belief or nonbelief should be promoted in the district by employees, and none shall be disparaged.”

By including students of all beliefs, Schaller said, he is following that policy. Lincoln Consolidated Schools Superintendent Sandra Harris agrees.

“As long as students are not being mandated to engage in prayer and feel that they can walk away if they choose to do so … there shouldn’t be a problem, “she said.

Like several Lincoln parents interviewed, William Nuttall, Tom’s father, said he supports Schaller’s decision to mix religion and wrestling.

“Truthfully, 30 years ago, we did the same thing, “Nuttall said. “I don’t think there’s anything wrong with it.”

According to the federal policy on prayer in public schools, which is followed by the Michigan Department of Education, teachers can participate in religious activities “where the overall context makes clear that they are not participating in their official capacities. “The policy does not specify when a teacher or coach is acting in an official capacity.

Although no parent or student has complained to Lincoln administrators about Schaller’s decision to lead prayers, some parents in other districts have questioned such actions. At Tecumseh High School, where football coach Randy Hutchison led his teams in prayer for five years, a couple of parents complained that their children were being forced to pray. Tecumseh Athletic Director Adam Benschoter told Hutchison in September that he had to stop.

“I had a misunderstanding, “Hutchison said. “I always made sure it was a voluntary thing. If anyone didn’t want to be involved, no problem. Within that context, I understood it was OK to do it. It wasn’t a mandated or forced issue.

“About the fourth week of the season, I was given a letter of reprimand, saying if I didn’t quit doing so, I would be fired.”

After exploring the issue, Tecumseh decided to allow the players to pray on their own – so long as it was after practice and Hutchison did not lead them.

“We talked to human resources and talked to our attorneys about what legally is acceptable and what legally is not acceptable, “Benschoter said. “Those are the recommendations that were given.”

But even student-led team prayer is wrong if it’s on school property, said Annie Laurie Gaylor, co-president of the Wisconsin-based Freedom From Religion Foundation, which has represented parents and students in lawsuits to ban prayer in public schools throughout the United States. Gaylor said the foundation, which held its national convention in Ann Arbor in 1990, would sue districts like Lincoln or Tecumseh if students or parents asked it to.

“We’ve been able to stop this in other parts of the country when asked by parents, “Gaylor said. “It’s unconstitutional – court decisions on prayer in schools have made that clear.”

Even if team prayer is optional, there is still overwhelming pressure on students to participate, Gaylor said.

“It’s all coming from the coach, and he is paid for by taxpayers, “Gaylor said. “That’s sending a district message that we favor prayer. (Students) are there for a school-sponsored event and they are being manipulated in an unprofessional way by a religious fanatic.

“Think of the student who doesn’t know his mind or her mind, or is really conflicted and wants to please the coach. If (coaches) can’t keep their hands off the religious minds of these students, they should be working for a religious school.”

Most area school officials disagree. At Pioneer High School, athletics supervisor Eve Claar said teams can pray if they choose to.

“Obviously, we support the district policy regarding separation of church and state, “she said. “But we don’t necessarily disallow (team prayer). It certainly can’t be anything mandatory. Anybody who would not want to be involved would not be.”

Howell High School athletics director Doug Paige has warned his coaches not to lead prayers. But if athletes take the initiative, Paige said, they can pray as a team.

“It’s an extension of the classroom, and we wouldn’t expect a teacher to be leading prayer in a math class, “Paige said. “How can you be equitable to all … beliefs?”

Sometimes mixing sports and religion can be educational for students, said Belleville High School football coach Bob LaPointe.

Belleville sophomore Waseem El Awadi had to fast during the last few weeks of Belleville’s football season, which fell during Ramadan, the holiest period in the Islamic faith. El Awadi’s fasting sparked discussion among his teammates.

“On the way home from the Romulus game, everyone was talking about the game and then all of a sudden they were talking about the great religions of the world, “LaPointe said. “(El Awadi is) explaining Islam for them and comparisons of the prophets. I think it’s a great experience for them to be around someone from a different culture and religion.”

Schaller, Lincoln’s wrestling coach, said he tries to keep his prayers generic, rather than following a particular religious practice. He’s had input from non-Christian athletes on how to make that happen.

Lincoln sophomore Kirkwood Phifer participates in the wrestling team’s prayers, but said he would feel comfortable telling Schaller if he didn’t want to. “He’s really open to talking, “Phifer said.

Schaller said he wants prayer to be a positive experience.

“Generally, we pray for protection over our bodies and that we would wrestle the best we ever have, “he said. “I pray for our opponents and that they would wrestle well and that their bodies be protected.”

But Schaller said he knows his expression of religion could eventually draw criticism.

“As my Christian belief, I know I’m going to be persecuted, “he said. “I can at least try to get these guys to make moral decisions that aren’t based on the things they see on television or what their friends tell them.”

James Briggs can be reached at [email protected] or (734) 482-2829.