Cabarrus County Board of Education is looking to hold public prayers before meetings. Could that be problematic?

The United States has a complicated history when it comes to merging religion with government matters.

Screenshot of Pamela Escobar speaking during the April 12 Cabarrus County Board of Education meeting

Pamela Escobar has faced her share of criticism on social media in the weeks following the April 12 Cabarrus County Schools Board of Education meeting, where she strongly opposed a proposal to include public prayer before every board meeting.

“If you put prayer at the beginning of this meeting, I don’t think that’s a welcoming sign to the people who are in this room tonight,” Escobar said as part of lengthy remarks, while noting that approving such an invocation could introduce a host of legal challenges.