A private Christian school was not wrongfully deprived of free speech or free exercise rights when the Florida High School Athletic Association denied players’ request to use a stadium’s public announcement system to say a prayer before the state championship football game, a federal appellate court ruled this week.
A three-judge panel for the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit ruled Sept. 3 that Tampa, Florida’s oldest and largest evangelical school, Cambridge Christian School, was not wronged by the Florida High School Athletic Association (FHSAA) when it was denied the prayer request before the 2015 championship game against University Christian School, based out of Jacksonville, Florida.