WASHINGTON  Public school officials nationwide were advised against interfering with See You At The Pole (SYATP) events Sept. 17, according to Christian News Service.
The Alliance Defense Fund (ADF) sent letters detailing the constitutionality of the annual student-initiated prayer gathering to 50 state departments of education, the District of Columbia and several of the nation's largest school districts.
"We don't want to spend time preparing court papers on something as obviously constitutional as (SYATP)," ADF chief counsel Benjamin Bull said. "Freedom of speech for students on such matters is well-settled in the law."
He said students have a constitutional right to tell their fellow students about the event, which calls for students to gather around the school flagpole at 7 a.m. for prayer.
"Religious speech is protected by the First Amendment and may not be singled out for discrimination," he said. "Nevertheless, from time to time officials have tried to prohibit students from advertising or promoting (the event)."
A youth group in Texas started SYATP in 1990.
