GAINESVILLE - In December, an atheist group out of Washington, D.C. filed a lawsuit against the Hall County School District on behalf of three county citizens, accusing the school system, Superintendent Will Schofield and Chestatee High School Principal Suzanne Jarrard of illegally allowing coaches and teachers to lead prayer for students.
Now, a federal judge has ruled the accused can know the names of their accusers, although the names will not be made available to the general public.
At a Monday work session for the Hall County School Board, Schofield told board members that a recent ruling by Judge William C. O'Kelley will allow defense attorneys in the case to do some "homework," as he put it.
"We've said all along that we need to know who's suing us, so that we can look into the issues and see where the merit is," said Schofield.
The American Humanist Association last August sent a letter to the school district expressing concern over reports that coaches had been leading prayer for the football team at Chestatee High School. When the AHA did not get satisfaction from the school district that sufficient action had been taken to stop the practice, the lawsuit was filed claiming violation of the Establishment Clause.
Schofield said Monday, he had no idea how long it would take to settle the suit.
"These cases are famous for 'hurry up and wait' and dragging on for ages," he said.
