MADISON, Wis. – With the new school year only weeks away, high school and middle school sports teams across the nation will be starting their seasons, and many will continue long traditions of prayer before or after games.

At least some schools will receive letters from the Madison, Wisconsin-based Freedom From Religion Foundation, objecting to the prayers.

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The anti-Christian organization has bullied K-12 schools throughout the nation into banning team prayers and removing all references to Christianity from school buildings. It typically threatens school districts with lawsuits if they don’t comply, and many schools give in because they can’t afford six figure legal bills to defend themselves in court.

The FFRF’s latest victory came last week, after it complained because a high school tennis coach in Decatur, Indiana led a team prayer following the last match of the season. The school reportedly told its coaches that such prayers are not allowed, even if students participate on a voluntary basis.

But there are ways for students, faculty members, parents and other members of a community to pray together at school athletic events – or any events, for that matter – without making themselves more vulnerable to legal action by the FFRF.

In 2014, the FFRF sent a letter to Piedmont City Schools in Alabama, demanding that the district halt its practice of broadcasting a student-led prayer over the loudspeaker system before varsity football games.

The district administration caved in to the demands.

“Beginning immediately, the Piedmont City School District will no longer allow student led prayer at athletic events,” Piedmont school superintendent Matt Akin wrote to the FFRF in an email.

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A subsequent Facebook message posted by the district said the following:

“While the personal opinions of the administration and employees of the system may differ with the opinions of the Court and the author of the letter sent to the system, the school system’s attorneys advised that we consent since there is established case law regarding this issue.”

USA Today referenced the situation in an article that said, “Piedmont is one of many schools to receive such letters from the Freedom From Religion Foundation, which has dramatically increased public awareness of its own message and goals in recent years. While it attempts to limit the spread of institutionalized religion in public places across many forums, it has generated the most notable success in schools, particularly school sports.”

But the people of Piedmont took matters into their own hands.

Rather than broadcasting a prayer before games, the school provides a moment of silence, and many in attendance – including students – simply take to the field and recite a voluntary group prayer.

“As citizens, we recited the Lord’s Prayer – out loud,” said Piedmont Mayor Bill Baker. “One week we had the entire football field encircled by people. It was really wonderful and very moving to me to see people come together and praise God and speak His name out loud.”

Perhaps the FFRF was offended by the public response, because a few months later it attacked again.

The organization bullied the city of Piedmont into removing the name “Keep Christ in Christmas” from its annual holiday parade. The city caved in, but a huge group of citizens showed up for the parade, had a prayer circle before the event, and many parade marchers carried signs that said “Keep Christ in Christmas.”