Morehouse Parish School Board is a

school district A school district is a special-purpose district that operates local public Primary school, primary or Secondary school, secondary schools or both in various countries. It is not to be confused with an attendance zone, which is within a school dis ...

headquartered in an unincorporated area of

Morehouse Parish Morehouse Parish (French:Paroisse de Morehouse) is a parish located in the U.S. state of Louisiana. As of the 2020 census, the population was 25,629. The parish seat is Bastrop. The parish was formed in 1844. Morehouse Parish comprises th ...

Louisiana Louisiana ( ; ; ) is a state in the Deep South and South Central regions of the United States. It borders Texas to the west, Arkansas to the north, and Mississippi to the east. Of the 50 U.S. states, it ranks 31st in area and 25 ...

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

, near the city of Bastrop, the parish seat. The district serves Morehouse Parish.

Bastrop High School prayer controversy

In 2011, graduating senior Damon Fowler objected to

prayer File:Prayers-collage.png, 300px, alt=Collage of various religionists praying – Clickable Image, Collage of various religionists praying ''(Clickable image – use cursor to identify.)'' rect 0 0 1000 1000 Shinto festivalgoer praying in front ...

at the Bastrop High School graduation exercises, claiming a looming violation of the

First Amendment to the Constitution of the United States The First Amendment (Amendment I) to the United States Constitution prevents Federal government of the United States, Congress from making laws respecting an Establishment Clause, establishment of religion; prohibiting the Free Exercise Cla ...

. The

ACLU The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) is an American nonprofit civil rights organization founded in 1920. ACLU affiliates are active in all 50 states, Washington, D.C., and Puerto Rico. The budget of the ACLU in 2024 was $383 million. ...

of Louisiana asked the school not to include a prayer in the May 20 graduation. At the Thursday night rehearsal for the graduation, senior Sarah Barlow included a prayer that explicitly mentioned

Jesus Jesus (AD 30 or 33), also referred to as Jesus Christ, Jesus of Nazareth, and many Names and titles of Jesus in the New Testament, other names and titles, was a 1st-century Jewish preacher and religious leader. He is the Jesus in Chris ...

, and during the graduation, student Laci Rae Mattice led people in the

Lord's Prayer The Lord's Prayer, also known by its incipit Our Father (, ), is a central Christian prayer attributed to Jesus. It contains petitions to God focused on God’s holiness, will, and kingdom, as well as human needs, with variations across manusc ...

before a moment of silence. The school says that Mattice was told not to include a prayer. Fowler stated that after his objections became public he was ostracized by other students. In 2012, Fowler received the Humanist Pioneer Award from the

American Humanist Association The American Humanist Association (AHA) is a 501(c) organization, non-profit organization in the United States that advances secular humanism. The American Humanist Association was founded in 1941 and currently provides legal assistance to defe ...

Schools

6-12 schools

* Delta High Schoolbr>
(''Unincorporated area'')

High schools

* Bastrop High School (Louisiana), Bastrop High Schoolbr>
( Bastrop)

K-8 schools

Beekman Junior High School
(''Unincorporated area'')

1-8 schools

Morehouse Magnet School
(Bastrop)

7-8 schools

Morehouse Junior High School
(Bastrop)

PK-6 schools

Henry V. Adams Elementary School
(Bastrop)
Cherry Ridge Elementary School
(''Unincorporated area'')
East Side Elementary School
(Bastrop)
Pine Grove Elementary School
(''Unincorporated area'')
Southside Elementary School
(Bastrop)

3-6 schools

Carver Elementary School
(Bastrop)

PK-2 schools

Oak Hill Elementary School
(Bastrop)

Alternative

Bastrop Learning Academy
(Bastrop)

References

{{Reflist

External links

Morehouse Parish Schools
School districts in Louisiana

School Board A board of education, school committee or school board is the board of directors or board of trustees of a school, local school district or an equivalent institution. The elected council determines the educational policy in a small regional area, ...