Lawsuit Claims Indiana High School Track Coach Banned Athletes Gathering to Pray Before Meets

A federal lawsuit claims that the girls’ track coach at Lake Central High School in St. John, Indiana, banned student-athletes from gathering to pray before meets.

The American Center for Law and Justice is representing two sisters on the team, identified in the lawsuit only as K.D., 17, and N.D., 14.

The lawsuit alleges that Coach Ron Fredrick became upset when he saw some girls gathering to pray during a warm-up in late February.

The coach warned the girls, “Don’t let me see you do that again.”

On March 4, 2024, the coach explicitly told the girls that they must “not be seen praying together as a group at high school track meets.”

According to Coach Fredrick, the only option was for those who wished to pray to engage in an “individualized moment of reflection” alone or in small groups of two to three. He added that any “moment of reflection” should be “limited to .5 seconds like a moment of silence during the national anthem.”

The coach’s instructions were reported to officials at the high school, but he repeated his order the following day.

In a statement about the lawsuit, the ACLJ said, “Rarely are we presented with such a blatant violation of students’ First Amendment rights as has occurred here.”

“The same day we were contacted, we sent a demand letter to the school superintendent demanding that the school take immediate action to halt the ongoing First Amendment violations. The First Amendment undisputedly protects students’ right to pray or engage in other religious speech or activities before, during, or after school and at school events, including sporting events.”

Despite the complaints, the issue has not been resolved by the school.