ST. GEORGE, Utah — Despite receiving a legal threat imploring against praying at school board meetings, the Washington County School Board continued its tradition of offering an opening prayer at its meeting Tuesday.
According to the St. George News, at the top of the meeting, board member Terry Hutchinson invited anyone interested to join him in a “moment of silence or in a prayer,” he said, which was different than how the prayer is normally conducted. In previous meetings, a board member offering the prayer would cross their arms, close their eyes and begin.
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“I choose to do a prayer,” Hutchinson said, and proceeded to do so, ending with “in the name of Jesus Christ, amen.”
This alteration to the usual way of delivering the prayer follows a request from the Freedom From Religion Foundation, a national nonprofit organization, asking the Washington County School Board of Education to cease delivering a prayer or reverence beginning Tuesday.
