This morning on WPRO's Morning News, Cranston Mayor Allan Fung weighed in on the court's decision to remove Cranston High School West's prayer banner.
Although Mayor Fung disagrees with U.S. District Judge Ronald Lagueux’s decision to take down the prayer, the first-term mayor argues that the city should not appeal the decision.
Mayor Fung contends that the financially strapped Cranston should accept the ruling rather than participate in a costly appeals process.
“When you take a look at the financial situation, it’s a sad situation that we are in because I do support having the banner there and I think the judge’s decision missing the historical significance of the tradition and how that banner was a class gift,” Fung told the WPRO.
Judge Lagueux deemed the banner in question, titled “School Prayer,” a violation of the separation between church and state due to the phrase “Our heavenly father.”
Cranston High School West student Jessica Ahlquist, 16, brought the case against the city because she felt that the prayer ostracized her as an atheist.
Despite Mayor Fung’s warning, the ultimate decision to file an appeal lies in the hands of the School Committee, which will vote on Tuesday at 5:30 p.m.
The banner has been on the schools’ walls since the 1960s.
Sources: 630wpro.com; The Washington Post
Photo: Turnto10.com
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