In this 2010 file photo, Soddy-Daisy players are joined by fans for on-field prayer before their football game.A complaint was filed Saturday against Hamilton County Schools, alleging that coaches from Central and East Ridge High School led or participated in a prayer after a student was hurt during a football game last fall.
The complaint was filed by the Freedom From Religion Foundation, an organization that works to protect the separation of church and state, as the law prohibits school employees from leading or participating in prayer with students.
Hamilton County Schools investigated the complaint today, and said the prayer was not led by a coach.
"Our investigation revealed that a community member, not the coach, said the prayer," according to school officials.
Players from both Central High School and East Ridge High School chose to participate in the prayer.
Hamilton County Schools plans to respond to the Freedom From Religion Foundation complaint, providing the group with the details of its investigation.
Loudspeaker prayers before football games at Hamilton County Schools were banned in 2010 after some Soddy-Daisy students complained.
Scores of fans and students met with Soddy-Daisy and Rhea County high school football players for prayer in the days after the ban, though student-led prayer practices were also challenged in subsequent years.
All 32 coaches reached by the Times Free Press in 2013 endorsed some form of team prayer.