10/05/2026
October 5, 2026
Dear MPS Community,
We are aware of recent social media posts regarding the cancellation of a Back-to-School Community Prayer Walk at the 6th & 7th Grade Academy in August, and we want to provide some clarification.
Muskogee Public Schools has not taken a position against prayer or religious expression. In fact, a community prayer walk was held at the 6th & 7th Grade Academy last year by local churches. The circumstances surrounding this year’s event, however, were different.
This year, the district learned that the prayer walk had been promoted by district employees as a school-sponsored event. The district also received a letter from the Freedom From Religion Foundation raising concerns. Public schools cannot sponsor or promote religious activity. Therefore, the decision was made to cancel the event.
Public schools have a Constitutional obligation to neither promote religion nor discriminate against religious belief or religious expression. A public school cannot promote or sponsor religious activity, but it also cannot suppress an individual’s voluntary religious expression simply because it is religious.
That distinction is important. A school employee acting in their official capacity cannot promote a particular faith. At the same time, students, families, staff and community members are not prohibited from voluntarily praying or expressing their religious beliefs.
For example, student-led events such as See You at the Pole are permitted because they are student-led, rather than sponsored or promoted by the school or district.
This decision was not to prohibit prayer or religious expression within our schools. We understand there may be questions about the decision, particularly given that a prayer walk took place at the school the previous year. However, we hope this clarification provides a better understanding of what was different about this year’s event and why the decision was made.
Sincerely,
MPS District Administration
