Idaho —
After FFRF contacted the Weiser School District in Idaho for the third time regarding religious content in Veterans Day assemblies, the new superintendent assured compliance with the First Amendment.
A parent reported that Weiser High School allowed a guest speaker to lead all attendees, including students, in a prayer at the school’s Nov. 11, 2025, Veterans Day assembly. The parent reported that the guest speaker initially asked for “a moment of silence” before beginning a prayer instead. The parent’s children were “extremely uncomfortable” during the prayer, and their parent felt that the school was continuing to include school-sponsored prayers at the assembly in a purposeful attempt to skirt the law.
“The district continues to knowingly violate the First Amendment by allowing its schools to include prayer at official Veterans Day assemblies,” FFRF Staff Attorney Sammi Lawrence wrote to the district.
FFRF’s letter received a response from Superintendent Dave Kerby, who replaced the previous superintendent that FFRF had worked with. Kerby confirmed that the prayer was not planned by the district. “I was not aware of the guest speaker’s intent to lead a prayer,” Kerby wrote. “The speakers were selected by the veterans group and, as I believed, selected on the basis of content-neutral, evenhanded criteria, (as veterans) and the district did not control the content of any of their speeches.” Kerby additionally confirmed that he is aware that students have the right to be free from religious indoctrination in school. He promised to communicate with the school board chair in order to ensure the board understands their responsibility as well.
