Rhode Island School Prayer Banner Wins Vote to Remain

NBC NEWS 10
By Associated Press

A prayer banner has been on display inside Cranston West High School since the late 1960s.

RHODE ISLAND - The Cranston School Committee voted 4-3 Monday night to keep a prayer banner at Cranston West High School. The board met Monday night and decided to keep the banner at Cranston West that has been on display for decades, but which some say violates the constitutional principle of separation of church and state. The banner that starts "Our Heavenly Father ..." and ends with "Amen" urges students to do their best and bring credit to the school. It has been on display since the 1960s. Last year, the American Civil Liberties Union asked the school to remove it after getting a complaint from a parent. Students are not required to recite it. The board faces potentially defending their actions in court to keep the banner. The ACLU has threatened a lawsuit if the banner remains. [link]