Georgia School District to Pay $22K to Atheist Group Over Prayers, References to Bible

A Georgia school district has agreed to pay over $22,000 via its insurance carriers to a humanist group over the alleged use of prayer and religion references in school sports.

The Hall County School District in Gainesville, Georgia has reportedly agreed in an out-of-court settlement to pay the American Humanist Association $22,500 in legal fees after it was reported that some sports coaches working for the district repeatedly referenced Christianity, the Bible and prayer to their athletes.

The lawsuit points specifically to Chestatee High School and North Hall High School, where it accuses the wrestling coach, the baseball coach and the football coach as all making religious references to their public school athletes, despite repeated letters from the humanist group.

Along with paying $22,500, the school's staff will also reportedly take a course on First Amendment rights as part of the agreed-upon deal.

"The Hall County School District admits to no violations of state or federal laws," District Superintendent William Schofield said in a statement.

"The district will continue to hold the expectation that individuals within our organization abide by the laws of our land. The Hall County School District will make no monetary compensation to the plaintiffs. Insurance carriers are negotiating all questions regarding legal fees."

David Niose, the legal director of the American Humanist Association, said in a statement that the group is "pleased" the school district agreed to a settlement.

"We are pleased that the district is taking productive steps forward to ensure compliance with the Constitution, and we expect that it will stop the student-staff prayer activities and other problematic conduct," Niose told the Atlanta Journal Constitution.