DERIDDER, La. — The head of the Beauregard Parish School Board says he will not vote to stop a school-related prayer program, even in the face of a threatened lawsuit.

The Louisiana chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union told the school district on Oct. 19 that a parent had complained that the "Partners In Prayer Program" violated numerous U.S. Supreme Court rulings dealing with religious activities in public schools.

Parents were sent release forms for their children's names to be used in the program, which allows churches and other groups to adopt classrooms and pray for their students. The program is in its second year.

The ACLU says it will file suit unless the program is stopped within 10 days.

School Board President LaRue Cooley said Oct. 19 that he had not seen the ACLU's letter. Cooley said he would not vote to stop the program if the issue is raised.

"It's a volunteer program. Nobody is forced to participate," he said. "If a person wants their name on a prayer list they should have the same prerogative as the ones who don't want to be prayed for."

Superintendent Myrna Cooley said she was not aware of any concerns that had been voiced by parents.

"I think something that important would have been brought to me," she said.

The ACLU also said it had received complaints that students led prayers at two school-sponsored events this year and that a parent's complaint was ignored.

Joe Cook, executive director of the ACLU's Louisiana chapter, claims that the volunteer-prayer related programs are unconstitutional because they violate the separation of church and state.

The superintendent said the ACLU complaint would be answered within 10 days.

Starting with the outlawing of religious training in public schools in 1947 in Everson v. Board of Education, the Supreme Court has dealt with the church-state issue in schools for more than 50 years. The high court outlawed school-sponsored prayer in 1962 in Engel v. Vitale. And earlier this year, acting in a Texas case, Santa Fe Independent School District v. Doe, the Supreme Court ruled that students could not lead prayers at public school athletic events because it gave the appearance of school endorsement.