TAMPA, Fla. — The U.S. Supreme Court is set to hear arguments about prayer in school on Monday.

The case involves Joseph Kennedy, a former football coach at Bremerton High School in Washington who was reprimanded for a post-game prayer on the football field.

The case could have implications for how school districts nationwide handle prayer.  

For years, the coach would kneel at the center of the field following games and lead students in prayer. The school district eventually learned what he was doing and asked him to stop.

Kennedy’s lawyers say the Constitution’s freedom of speech and freedom of religion guarantees allow him to pray on the field, with students free to join.

But the school district says Kennedy’s religious speech interfered with students’ own religious freedom rights, could have the effect of pressuring students to pray and opened the district itself to lawsuits.

The school district says it tried to work out a solution so Kennedy, who is Christian, could pray privately before or after the game, including on the field after students left, but Kennedy’s lawsuit followed.

Tampa attorney Jesse Panuccio said the Supreme Court is no stranger to the constant challenge of first amendment rights.

“In general the Supreme Court has been very protective in the right to free speech, and have taken a very extensive view, and especially free speech,” Panuccio said.

And he expects the court to rule in Kennedy’s favor.

Panuccio had a similar case with Cambridge Christian School in Tampa in 2015, when the Florida High School Athletic Association told them they were unable to pray over the loud speaker, even though they were playing against another Christian high school.

That is still in the appeals process. 

Information from the Associated Press was used in this report.