The Bossier Parish School District is back in the news. A week ago the parents of Parkway High School received a letter written by the Principal, which stated that student’s who do not stand for the national anthem could face disciplinary actions.

This week the school district is in hot water after a Christian prayer was broadcast over the speakers before a football game. The game was between Airline High and Parkway High, and was read by a female student.

In response, six different atheist groups sent a letter to the school district demanding that it stop saying prayer before sporting events, and also requested that the students not be made to stand for the National Anthem.

“Punishing students for speaking their minds runs counter to one of the main objectives of our public schools: training our children to become active participants in a free society,” the letter reads.

The groups who are reported to have written the letter are: American Atheists, Center for Inquiry, Freedom From Religion Foundation, American Humanist Association, Secular Coalition for America, and the Secular Student Alliance.

The letter stated “By permitting and endorsing such prayer, the schools involved are sending a message that students of no religious faith, or those of minority faiths, are lesser than their Christian co-students.”