Prayer at and in Public Schools/ revised and expanded edition

Well hello again,
As I mentioned in the earlier post on this subject, I may return and pound on it some more. Well, here I am again. I knew that I had left some thoughts unmentioned so I wanted to try to get them out there a little better this time. This subject is a really big one for me and it bothers me at my core. So please forgive the fact that I just took my original post and revised and expanded on it. So here we go:
Here in my local area there has recently been a “flap” caused regarding, among other things, the practicing of religion and religious rites at and in a public high school. The high school involved in the above mentioned flap, Pace High School in Pace, Florida. My opinion regarding this subject is quite plain and straight forward, and I feel very strongly about this one. The open public practicing of religion and religious rites has absolutely no place in or at public schools or public school sponsored functions.
It is my opinion that the separation of church and state is a good thing. I feel that our country's founding fathers had the right idea regarding this premise. Our founding fathers wanted this country to welcome and allow all faiths to have the right to practice their chosen faith without having another’s faith imposed upon them in any manner.
Now, what do we find happening right here in Pace, Florida, and specifically at Pace High School? We find the Christian citizens of the area imposing their chosen faith upon the rest of the citizens and students who attend that school and its functions. The faculty and administration, it would appear, support this violation of the non-Christian peoples civil rights. Therefore, the Santa Rosa County School Board supports the teaching of the students in its school system that it is quite alright to ignore the law, recent court rulings and violate people’s civil rights. Now I would like to think that this is not truly the case. However, in the apparent absence of action being taken by the school board then the message that is sent to the public at large is that this is accepted practice. Not to mention the fact that our own Mr. Wryosdick, the Santa Rosa County School Board Superintendent, was present at the Pace High School graduation ceremony and thus witnessed in person a blatant violation of a court’s order. It was the faculty’s duty, to at the very least, make an attempt to stop students from violating the court’s decree. No such attempt was made. So what is the message sent to the students here? Simply put; it is alright to violate the law if you don’t agree with it. It is alright to violate another’s civil rights if you want to. There are no repercussions that need to be considered or worried about. The only person here that needs to be considered is you. What a great lesson to teach!
Now, with that said; perhaps since the school board can't seem to get the school's administration to abide by the law of the land, as well as recent court rulings, (thus students and citizens who attend this school and it’s functions continue to have their civil rights violated) perhaps they should all just be fired and hire people who can do the job while abiding by the courts rules and protecting every ones civil rights. This would be fine by me.
Some people even say that because the majority of the people here are "Christians" they should be able to practice their religious rites at the school. You know! Majority Rules! Sounds like we are getting pretty close to; well, since the "majority" of us here are "Christians" we should require everyone here to be a Christian and practice Christian religious rites. Isn't that getting pretty close to why our founding fathers and their families left England? They were being forced to endure religious oppression. So now at Pace High School, if you aren't a Christian, because the "majority" is, you have to endure their oppression and suffer through their religious rites being forced upon you. My how we have evolved! This is what it means to be "Christian".
I observed this trend some years ago and have to admit that it made me feel very ashamed. I was so ashamed that I have no longer claimed to be a Christian myself and no longer attend what was my Baptist church. I do not wish to be associated with people who show such a blatant disregard for the rights of others just because they may be in the minority. I do not feel that they properly represent what their lord Jesus tried to teach. I cannot believe that he would condone the type of behavior and religious oppression that I am seeing being forced upon the student body at Pace High School. I further find it very troubling that the faculty and staff of Pace High School are obviously condoning, and possibly even encouraging this behavior and religious oppression.
Some will question the use of the word “forced”. There is a fairly simple way to justify this. If you have a child who enjoys and wants to participate in say, band, but that child is offended by having to endure a Christian prayer, then yes, they are “forced” to have to choose whether or not they should take and participate in band. I ask you, is that fair? I mean, this is supposed to be a school that is “public” and in which this issue is not supposed to even be a problem!
If you want your children to be permitted to practice their religion and its rites at their school, then send them to a parochial school. The public school system, funded by state and federal money, is not the place for the practice of religion and religious rites.
Well, I suppose that I vented enough regarding this subject again for the time being. I do however still reserve the right to address this again later if I should feel the need! Thanks for hanging around long enough to get to the end!