Why are we sacrificing the interests of the many for just a couple nay-sayers?

If the majority of students and their parents don’t have a problem with guided prayers, then what reason is there for the ACLU to make an issue out of it? In our day to day lives, we have to make decisions on what we do and don’t want. It is a matter of personal freedom. If people don't want to participate in a religious prayer at school events, that's fine; they are never required to do so.

One of the parents, Kelly Elrod, put it this way: “It’s their right, if people don’t want to pray they don’t have to, but I feel like the moment of silence should still be there for us to pray.” Religion is not being forced on these students. Each person develops their own convictions regarding religion, and they are not being put on the spot and told that they need to make a public statement of what they believe to be true. If they choose to make a statement, that's another thing entirely.

Many believe that prayers help them focus on positivity and good energy, and some students are in this camp  irrespective of their religious beliefs. Schools have been tasked with instilling #values and providing the right education for a very long time. Yet even the school district themselves seem to be waffling on what they stand for, if their public statement is taken into consideration.

The investigating board said that not all allegations in the lawsuit against the school were factual, and there are contradictions to the allegations made on Smith County Public School in regards to forcing religion on students. The ACLU's lawsuit was eventually settled out of court, with the school district admitting no wrongdoing but saying that they would stop allowing people to pray out lout.

School plays an instrumental part in the development of students, and guided prayers have been part of this local tradition for a long time. Every school has a culture which unites each and every student and their families, and it becomes an integral part of their life. Eliminating a culture would not be the right approach when there are available options of coexistence. 

Instead of allowing people to peacefully coexist, this decision has only further limited our freedom of speech and our freedom to practice religion if we so choose.