Prayer at school: Religious freedom on the 50-yard line?

(The Christian Science Monitor) At the 50-yard line of a high school football field, a battle is brewing over the meaning of the First Amendment.

The Bremerton School District in Washington State put assistant varsity football coach Joe Kennedy on paid administrative leave last week after he failed to comply with directives to stop overt public displays of religion on the field while on duty.

The showdown raises a key question: When does a public school district’s responsibility to follow the First Amendment’s establishment clause—barring the government from endorsing or showing preference for religions—trump a staff member’s rights under the free exercise clause, meant to prohibit government interference with religious practice.