Prayers were said at Monday's Eastern Lancaster County school board meeting, the first meeting with a public comment period since the district stopped opening its meetings with prayer.

But it wasn't a board member praying, as had been the longtime practice.

Instead, three residents prayed during their public comments. They were among a half-dozen residents who addressed the policy change.

The district said it would drop the prayer last month after the Freedom From Religion Foundation in Madison, Wis., contacted it. The group, which works to uphold the separation of church and state, said it had received a complaint from an Elanco "resident and taxpayer."

The Anti-Defamation League of Philadelphia also had pressured Elanco to halt the prayer or face litigation, according to the district.

School officials cited wanting to avoid costly litigation in the decision.

Glenn Yoder, board president, said the residents who spoke Monday "supported us in our decision but were disappointed that we were no longer able to offer a prayer at the start of the board meeting."

Yoder said the number of speakers was "probably more than the average."

He said he doesn't know if people will continue to pray as part of their public comments at future meetings.

"According to school code, they can address anything under the board's jurisdiction and the agenda," he said.

The board asks speakers to keep comments to five minutes or less.

Former board member Chuck Trupe was among those who prayed.

"There was more prayer last night than anytime before, and I've been going to board meetings for 25 years," he said Tuesday.

He said he had heard that some residents intend to continue praying during public comment.

In his comments to the board Monday, he criticized the Freedom From Religion Foundation for meddling.

"They're called the Freedom From Religion Foundation. I just don't know what they're scared of," he said Tuesday.

Noting the group's membership of 18,500, he told the board, "This is an extremely small and close-minded group telling a nation of 300 million people what they can and cannot do."

He concluded by thanking the Lord for the founding fathers and praying for school officials, teachers, students and the community.

While Trupe said he hopes the public continues to pray at meetings, Rebecca Markert, staff attorney for the Freedom From Religion Foundation, doesn't think that will happen.

In other instances where the group has ended prayer at school functions, she said, occasionally at the first subsequent event without prayer an audience member will pray.

But it doesn't last.

"Once it's gone, they usually don't miss it," she said.

In September, the Octorara Area school board dropped recitation of the Lord's Prayer from its agenda under similar pressure from the Wisconsin group.
dnephin@lnpnews.com