(This story was written by the Iowa Capital Dispatch) – A northwest Iowa school district has agreed to prohibit religious organizations from holding events at schools after receiving a complaint about a Christian group holding National Day of Prayer celebrations on school grounds. The Iowa Capital Dispatch reports the Freedom From Religion Foundation (FFRF), a nonprofit organization advocating for the separation of church and state and for nonreligious people, sent a letter to the Le Mars Community School District in June about a local religious group holding events on public school grounds on May 1st.

May 1^st is celebrated as the “National Day of Prayer” by some Christians – in Iowa, several religious organizations as well as officials like Gov. Kim Reynolds have hosted and participated in National Day of Prayer celebrations throughout the state.

One of those celebrations in 2025 in Le Mars took place at the Le Mars Community Middle and High Schools. On May 1, the “National Day of Prayer” Facebook page for Le Mars made a post saying that their members “had the joy of partnering with the Le Mars Youth Network” for the celebration at the Le Mars schools.The social media post featured images showing adults with the religious organization on school grounds.

Sammi Lawrence, an attorney with the FFRF, said a person alerted their organization about the post. The FFRF contacted the school district with a complaint letter after receiving the information, she said, to notify the school asking them to cease allowing religious organizations to hold events and proselytize students on school grounds.

In the letter to Le Mars Community School District, Lawrence wrote it is “well-settled law that public schools may not show favoritism toward, nor promote or coerce belief in religion” – and that a public school allowing outside religious representatives onto school grounds for the purpose of promoting their religious beliefs violates the Establishment Clause of the First Amendment in the U.S. Constitution. The Establishment Clause prohibits the government from establishing or giving preferential treatment to any religion.

In response to the complaint from FFRF, Rachel Fritz, an attorney representing the Le Mars district, responded with a letter stating that the school district communicated with members of the local National Day of Prayer group, instructing them “not to facilitate or lead in any prayer or devotional activities involving students on District property.”

The letter also stated the district has taken “appropriate steps to ensure that any prayer activities occurring on school grounds are entirely student-led or student-initiated, in full compliance with applicable legal standards, including the Establishment Clause of the First Amendment.”