Below is the statement of “apology” apparently made by Lebanon High principal Kevin Lowery (and issued by the school district) after the Freedom from Religion Foundation (and other people) complained about Lowery’s intrusive prayers at the school’s graduation:

“I sincerely apologize if any comments made in my speech offended anyone in the audience and our community, especially any of our students, and will strive to not let this happen again. Our district endeavors to fully comply with the laws and Constitution of the United States, and to provide quality education to all of our students. I wish each and everyone of the 332 fine young men and women who graduated that night the best in all of their endeavors.”

-Lebanon High School Principal Kevin Lowery

For additional information Contact:
Jacy Tilton
Director of Communications, Lebanon R-3 School District
417-225-8094

I am usually quite charitable about accepting apologies, but this isn’t a genuine apology.  Apologies of the sort that say “I’m sorry if I offended anyone” do not show remorse for the conduct, but merely for “offending” people, some of which, of course, Lowery doesn’t think should be offended.  Further, he doesn’t say it won’t happen again, but simply that “I will strive not to let this happen again.”  Strive?  Can’t the principal assure us that it won’t happen again?

Finally, if the district endeavored to fully comply with the laws and Constitution of the U.S., why did Lowery deliberately and knowingly violate those, for in his “prayer speech” he claimed that he knew that what he was saying was “politically incorrect.”

The proselytizing of the school’s officials, teachers, and students goes far deeper than the prayer at graduation, as a student attested yesterday. There are “prayer circles” before exams, no teacher dared host a “diversity club” for nonbelieving and gay students, students proselytize for Christianity in class, and apparently, Principal Lowery wasn’t a stranger to Constitutionally-banned prayer. This is from the student’s letter:

What Mr. Lowery did at the 2014 graduation ceremony is hardly the first time that he danced around the Separation of Church and State for prayer.  At the previous graduation ceremony, he said that he is not allowed to say a prayer, but if he could say a prayer, this is what he would say.  He added that he would encourage everyone to bow their heads.  And if this was not ambiguous enough, he added an “amen” to conclude his statements.

I was surprised.  I tried to discuss this with like-minded classmates who informed me that he often prayed before school sponsored sports events.  This was of course allowed due to the majority of Lebanon being religious—a population around 15,000 and a church on every corner.

What was “allowed” is, in fact, unconstitutional.

Principal Lowery’s apology is insufficient.  What he should have said is that his behavior was wrong, why it was wrong, and that he will assure everyone that the school will, in all its activities, comply with the requirements of the U.S. Constitution.

I am not involved in this issue any further, as it’s in the hands of the FFRF’s lawyers. But my own view is that Lowery’s apology is a sham, and that any legal body needs a stronger assurance that there will be no more prayers at public school activities. And, it seems to me—given the depth of religious indoctrination in that school—the FFRF might want to look into things bit more deeply.

For the nonce we’re assured that the Principal will strive not to pray at graduation. That’s not good enough. He needs to stop talking about God and praying in his school. Let him praise God on his own time, and in his own home and church.

The principal of Lebanon High School has issued an apology that isn’t really an apology. I’ll post that shortly.

First, I’ve received one more letter from a graduate of Lebanon High—one who wishes to be identified. I wrote her twice asking for confirmation, for we all know (viz., the Jessica Ahlquist affair) what can happen to students who stand up for the separation of church and state in a religious town.  The student repeated that she wanted to be identified because, as she wrote, “It doesn’t have to be anonymous at all. I stand by my views and wish to help fight for the cause!” How heartening to hear a young person talk about the “cause”!

Therefore, I give you the views of McKenzie McCaskill, who attended Lebanon High School:

At the graduation of my old school in Lebanon the principal, Mr. Lowery, talked a lot about god and even had a moment of silence (I’m assuming for prayer but maybe I’m wrong). I find this extremely wrong. Just because a majority of kids who go to the school are Christian doesn’t make it right to bring god into the celebration of a school matter. Imagine how out of place anyone of a different religion felt during this speech. If Mr. Lowery was, let’s say, Hindu and he had a speech that strongly mentioned and worshiped the Hindu religion he would most likely be hanged in Lebanon. Just because the majority of people in the town are Christian does NOT make it acceptable. There is a separation of church and state, and quite honestly I would have walked right out of that graduation if I heard that speech. If he would have pulled a stunt like that in any bigger city he most likely would have been fired.

Lebanon high school is a public school. If you want to talk about god then be a principal at a private school. I have nothing against Christians, I have nothing against any religion, I have nothing against god, I have nothing against the followers of god, but I sure have something against making people feel out of place because they have a different belief than you. Any kid of a different religion or of no religion probably felt like such an outsider and felt so out of place. Mr. Lowery has done this in many speeches before, and though he knows some students and parents are not comfortable with the talk of religion in events such as the graduation, he proceeds to do as he wants and disregards those in the minority. Laws were set to separate church and state and students at Lebanon High School should have a privilege to those rights. Those rights should not be ignored just because a majority of the town shares the same beliefs. There is a time and place for everything and it was very wrong for Mr. Lowery to put some (even if only a few) students in such an awkward and unfair situation at their own graduation.

This now makes three students who have expressed their opposition to the principal’s proselytizing and the relentless religiosity of Lebanon High, far worse than even I imagined.  These are courageous young folks, for, one way or another, people will probably figure out who they are. McKenzie doesn’t care, and good for her. I hope she doesn’t get too much pushback.

I’d like the school board of Lebanon to read those three letters (the first two are here and here), and then contemplate the effect of the school’s pervasive Christian proselytizing on their young people. For one thing, it’s going to drive the freethinkers away from Lebanon, as it has done for some already.  But maybe Lebanon doesn’t care if it hemorrhages its smartest kids, so long as the town can keep its Christian unanimity.

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I’ll append one attempted comment by a Guy Caley, just to refresh you about the Constitutional acumen of many Lebanon residents:

Do any of you people even live in Lebanon or have kids in the school? No? Then this doesn’t concern you. I do and nobody I have heard in Lebanon is complaining. We aren’t really in need of your assistance.

And by the way the folks at Freedom From Religion Foundation that Professor Coyne tattled to have already said that Professor Coyne is an idiot and there is no constitutional violation here.

You’ve heard three complaints, Caley (there are more). The reason more people don’t complain is that you and your fellow Christians have intimidated them into silence. Oh, and you’ve lied about what the FFRF said.  You have no integrity.

Finally, you do need our help, or at least the FFRF’s, if your schools are to follow the law. Since you don’t do that willingly, we have to force you through the legal system.