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Volume 8, No. 8
Friday, March 4, 2028
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CHRONICLE ONICLE ND KIR TLA
Post-Playoff Game Prayer Incites First Amendment Complaint
CHRONICLE By Jamie Ward jamie@karlovecmedia.com
ND KIR TLA
This post on the “Friends of Kirtland, Ohio” Facebook page was included in a complaint by a Kirtland parent that the school district, through its coaches, was promoting prayer on the football team.
Heads bowed at the 50 yard line, on a snow-covered field two days after Thanksgiving, the Kirtland Hornets and the Ottawa Glandorf Titans, players and coaches, gathered together to pray. It was just moments after a game in which the Hornets rode roughshod over the Titans 286, claiming their 55th straight win. And for one agnostic Kirtland parent, that prayer crossed the line. He had overlooked small stuff in the past. But said religion began to “steamroll” into team functions throughout the 2021 season. “This year it just felt like it was a new level,” he said. At a mandatory football pep rally and team dinner, it was reported, a priest gave a sermon and said a prayer with the coaches and administrators involved. “He said some pretty out-there stuff,” the parent said. Head Coach Tiger LaVerde also began leading the team in the Lord’s Prayer before every
game, either in the locker room or the end zone. It was after the post-playoff game prayer, though, that the parent, who declined to be named for fear of reprisal to his agnostic son, a football player, notified the Freedom From Religion Foundation (FFRF), a Wisconsin-based organization that promotes the separation of church and state. “I think the First Amendment is crucial,” the parent said. “During the prayer, (my son) felt uncomfortable.” In response, the FFRF addressed a letter to both schools’ superintendents. In it, Karen M. Heineman, a lawyer with the FFRF, stated, “Public schools may not advance, prefer, or promote religion,” and cited multiple U.S. Supreme Court opinions. “Public school coaches must refrain not only from leading prayers, but also from participating in students’ prayers or organizing student-led prayer,” Heineman continued. “Coach LaVerde’s conduct is unconstitutional because he endorses and promotes his religion when acting in his official capacity as a school district employee. He See Prayer • Page 4
BSA Girl Troop Takes Kirtland By Storm By Magdalene Pesch editor@karlovecmedia.com
Founded in July 2021, the allgirls Boy Scout Troop 286G is relatively new on the Kirtland scene. “Girl Troops were officially permitted to be part of the BSA starting Feb. 1, 2019,” explained Mike Hill, Troop 286G’s Scoutmaster. Most of the 15 members are Kirtland residents, said Hill, but there are members from other cities. Hill described the troop as “a collaborative effort fueled by the interest of our youth and of their parents, who wanted to foster (their children’s) desire.” Some of Troop 286G’s Scouts started in the Cub Scout Program, which is a co-ed BSA program. “When they ‘aged out’ at age 11, they wanted to continue with the BSA program which emphasizes monthly camping trips throughout the year,” said Hill. “Several of our Scouts actually are members of See Troop • Page 5
2022 Publication Schedule April 1 May 6 June 3 July 1 August 5
September 2 October 7 November 4 December 9
The Kirtland Chronicle publishes once a month. Karlovec Media Group reserves the right to change, cancel or add publication dates at any time.
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Pictured are members of the all-girls Boy Scout Troop 286G at the Beaumont Scout Camp in Ashtabula on Jan. 30. Founded in July 2021, the Troop is relatively new on the Kirtland scene. Most of the 15 members are Kirtland residents, but there are members from other cities.
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