If past practice holds, some area schoolswill hold a moment of silence before their football gamestonight.

    Some in the stands may then stand and recite the Lord’s Prayer.

    But the stadium speakers will remain silent.

    The Lincoln County School District has recently taken steps toensure any school-led prayers before athletic events aresuspended.

    Lincoln County Superintendent Terry Brister confirmed that hisoffice received complaints early in the semester about school-ledprayers before football games.

    “Our attention was called to the fact that we were having prayer,”Brister said in an interview Thursday. “We had to look intoit.”

    Brister said complaints were received two weeks in a row aboutFriday night games. Brister declined to state which schools werethe subject of complaints.

    In late September, Brister also received a letter sent by theFreedom From Religion Foundation (FFRF) to all Mississippisuperintendents.

    The letter from the FFRF, based in Madison, Wis., stated, in part,”It is illegal for a public school to organize, sponsor or leadprayers at public high school events. The Supreme Court hascontinually struck down formal teacher or school-led prayer inpublic schools.”

    In an interview last week FFRF Co-President Annie Laurie Gaylorsaid repeated reports of school-led prayers in the South promptedthe letters.

    “It’s a chronic issue, and this is a well-settled law,” Gaylorsaid.

    Letters have also been sent this year to schools in Alabama,Louisiana and Kentucky.

    Brister consulted the district’s attorney, James A. Keith of Adamsand Reese in Ridgeland, concerning the complaints and the FFRFletter.

    In a written response, Keith advised Brister that courts haveconsistently ruled against prayer over school intercom systems,whether a school official or a student led the prayer.

    “I know this is not the interpretation you or I would prefer but itis how the courts have interpreted the practice of invocations overthe intercom before football games,” Keith wrote.

    In response to Keith’s letter, the district composed a statement inmid-October that said “the administration must suspend ALLschool-sponsored prayer at our athletic and other events until wecan secure an Attorney General’s opinion otherwise.”

    Brister said he wishes it were otherwise.

    “Do I agree with this? No, I do not,” Brister said.

    The suspension of pre-game prayer is nothing new at some LincolnCounty schools, according to Enterprise Attendance Center PrincipalShannon Eubanks.

    “It had been brought to our attention by our board attorney a fewyears ago, and we had been cautioned to end it then,” Eubankssaid.

    School-led prayer at an athletic event or graduation has notoccurred at Enterprise for “a few years,” Eubanks said.

    Enterprise did read the district statement concerning prayer at ahome football game this fall, Eubanks said. He plans to do so againat the first home basketball and baseball games.

    Eubanks described reading the statement as a way to communicate theschool’s motivation to parents.

    “We want people to understand we are not trying to be a godlessschool or a godless district,” he said. “Whether we agree ordisagree, this is what we’ve been told to do.”

    Loyd Star Attendance Center Principal Robin Case also said nothingchanged at Loyd Star as a result of the district policy,

    “We had been adhering to the laws regarding prayer,” she said.

    Neither have any recent changes occurred at West Lincoln AttendanceCenter, aid Principal Jason Case.

    “We’re doing the same thing at West Lincoln we’ve been doing foryears,” Case said.

    However, Case declined to answer inquiries as to what WestLincoln’s policy has been. To the question of whether prayer isrecited over the stadium intercom, Case had no comment.

    Bogue Chitto Attendance Center Principal Dr. Stacy Adcock did notreturn repeated calls seeking comment.

    In Copiah County, Wesson Attendance Center has also seen a recenthalt to school-led prayer.

    “We have not had school-led prayer since Oct. 7,” Principal RonaldGreer said when contacted last week. “Evidently if we are going tofollow the law this is the way it’s going to be.”

    Greer said he has seen spectators at Wesson football games standand recite the Lord’s Prayer prior to the games.

    Such recitations in the stands have also occurred in LincolnCounty. This school year, all Lincoln County schools have observedmoments of silence prior to home football games, during whichspectators have stood and recited the Lord’s Prayer.

    Gaylor expressed a negative opinion toward prayer byspectators.

    “That’s really bullying conduct,” she said. “It’s saying we are themajority and we are going to intimidate you.”

    She further described it as “tyranny of the majority.”

    Gaylor believes the local community should welcome the FFRF’srecent actions.

    “If people hold our organization in low regard that is like sayingwe hold the constitution, the Supreme Court, and the Bill of Rightsin low regard,” she said.

    Brookhaven School District Superintendent Dr. Lisa Karmacharyaconfirmed her district received a copy of the letter but said nochanges in policy or practice were required.

    “We have the national anthem and then play ball,” Karmacharyasaid.

    The recent controversy concerning prayer before football games hasleft some local residents with mixed feelings.

    The Rev. Wayne Moak, pastor of Clear Branch Baptist Church, hasattended both Loyd Star and Bogue Chitto football games this fall.Moak said he has seen recitations of the Lord’s Prayer prior togames.

    “I’m a pastor, so of course I would like to pray beforeeverything,” Moak said.

    However, he said he understands some of the other side.

    “I wouldn’t want any school praying to another religion’s god,”Moak said.