Joseph Kennedy, the Bremerton (Wash.) High School assistant coach fired after he refused to stop praying with players following games, has been reinstated to his job, and last week the school board approved a $1.775 million settlement to Kennedy and his attorneys.
Kennedy began praying at midfield following games after joining the staff in 2008. Eventually, players joined in. The district asked Kennedy to stop. He refused. By 2015, Bremerton placed Kennedy on administrative leave and opted not to renew his contract, and Kennedy did not reapply for his position.
The case went to court and, eventually, to the US Supreme Court.
The nation's highest court ruled last June that Kennedy was exercising his first amendment rights and, since he was not requiring players to join him, he did not violate the first amendment rights of those who did not join him in prayer.
“The Constitution and the best of our traditions counsel mutual respect and tolerance, not censorship and suppression, for religious and nonreligious views alike,” Justice Neil Gorsuch wrote for the majority in a 6-3 decision.
Following the Court's decision, the Bremerton school board voted 5-0 to reinstate Kennedy.
In a Q&A on its website, Bremerton said it fought the case to the nation's highest court -- it should be noted: the case reached the Supreme Court because lower courts ruled in the school district's favor -- because "(t)he school district’s first priority had to be, and remains, protecting students’ religious freedom."
Kennedy is not a teacher with the district. He will be paid a $5,304 stipend as an assistant coach; his contract begins in August, but he will be present for spring practices.
"The Bremerton School District will fully comply with the court’s order to treat Mr. Kennedy’s personal religious conduct the same way the district treats all other personal conduct by coaches at football games," the district said. "The District remains steadfast in its commitment to respecting the rights and religious freedom of students, families, and school staff."
Said Hiram Sasser, executive general counsel for the organization representing Kennedy: “We are thrilled that Bremerton and Coach Kennedy are back together and we hope they go undefeated."