Mississippi school district fined $7,500 for leading assembly with prayer

By Elizabeth Potter, Elizabeth Potter

Published December 20, 2015

A Mississippi school district was fined $7,500 for opening an optional assembly with a prayer.

Local Methodist pastor Rev. Rob Gill led the assembly with a prayer at Brandon High School in May of last year. The assembly recognized students who scored more than a 22 on their ACT college admissions test, Fox News reported.

After a student sued the school district, Judge Carlton Reeves ordered the school pay the student's legal fees and threatened the district with a $10,000 fine if the problem arises again, Fox reported.

The public school district has been in trouble before, when the same student sued the district in 2013 for making him attend assemblies celebrating Christianity.