earl40
Puritan Board Professor
A recent decision to ban chaplains from leading prayers with Orange County public school football teams only hurts the students, a local pastor said Wednesday.
The district told school leaders and athletic directors last week that chaplains would no longer be allowed after receiving a complaint from the Freedom From Religion Foundation.
Pastor Troy Schmidt, who has been working with the Olympia High School team for at least six years, replacing other chaplains, said he still plans to prepare meals for the team with his church, First Baptist of Windermere.
"My heart is with Olympia. I love the kids," he said. Until last week, he had served as a spiritual adviser to the team, including leading them in prayers and said he never got a single complaint.
"Everything I've done has been centered around the Bible, but I've tried to apply it to football," Schmidt said. "I know I'm speaking to Christians, to Muslims, to atheists. I'm speaking to teenagers who are at that important phase in life where they're making critical decisions."
In March, the school district's legal department got a complaint from the Wisconsin-based Freedom from Religion Foundation.
Their letter cited instances of Apopka High School football players praying with Pastor Todd Lamphere of The Venue Church, which meets at Apopka High and two Seminole County public schools.
On the church's website, Lamphere's bio still stated Wednesday that he is chaplain of the Apopka High football team, as well as past chaplain of the Lyman and Lake Howell football teams in Seminole County.
Last week just before football season began, the Orange schools legal team issued a memo stating that football teams may not have chaplains and that adults may not lead prayers, based on previous court opinions.
Kathy Marsh, a spokesman for the district, said pastors may no longer talk about God, open a Bible or pray with team members. But clergy are still free to attend school sporting events.
Seminole County schools also got a complaint this week from the Freedom From Religion Foundation about a football prayer huddle at Seminole High School. However, Principal Connie Collins said that prayer was legal because it was student-led.
Orange schools banned football chaplains after complaint - Orlando Sentinel
The district told school leaders and athletic directors last week that chaplains would no longer be allowed after receiving a complaint from the Freedom From Religion Foundation.
Pastor Troy Schmidt, who has been working with the Olympia High School team for at least six years, replacing other chaplains, said he still plans to prepare meals for the team with his church, First Baptist of Windermere.
"My heart is with Olympia. I love the kids," he said. Until last week, he had served as a spiritual adviser to the team, including leading them in prayers and said he never got a single complaint.
"Everything I've done has been centered around the Bible, but I've tried to apply it to football," Schmidt said. "I know I'm speaking to Christians, to Muslims, to atheists. I'm speaking to teenagers who are at that important phase in life where they're making critical decisions."
In March, the school district's legal department got a complaint from the Wisconsin-based Freedom from Religion Foundation.
Their letter cited instances of Apopka High School football players praying with Pastor Todd Lamphere of The Venue Church, which meets at Apopka High and two Seminole County public schools.
On the church's website, Lamphere's bio still stated Wednesday that he is chaplain of the Apopka High football team, as well as past chaplain of the Lyman and Lake Howell football teams in Seminole County.
Last week just before football season began, the Orange schools legal team issued a memo stating that football teams may not have chaplains and that adults may not lead prayers, based on previous court opinions.
Kathy Marsh, a spokesman for the district, said pastors may no longer talk about God, open a Bible or pray with team members. But clergy are still free to attend school sporting events.
Seminole County schools also got a complaint this week from the Freedom From Religion Foundation about a football prayer huddle at Seminole High School. However, Principal Connie Collins said that prayer was legal because it was student-led.
Orange schools banned football chaplains after complaint - Orlando Sentinel
