Pinellas County School Board Chairperson Caprice Edmond is publicly questioning whether the board should stop opening its twice-monthly meetings with prayer, a practice that has been in place for years. Any change would apply to meetings that set policy for more than 91,000 students districtwide, including families at Palm Harbor University High School and Dunedin High School.

At the board's Tuesday, July 28 regular meeting, Pastor Lucas Hillman of Grace Christian Fellowship in Largo delivered an invocation, the Tampa Bay Times reported. That marked a return to the prayer format after the board had experimented with a moment of silence beginning in late March.

At a recent board workshop, Edmond asked colleagues whether they would support replacing the invocation with a moment of silence permanently, or eliminating even the moment of silence. She also raised the question of what happens when a board member does not support or want to participate, noting that not everyone is religious.

Edmond did not explain her full rationale at the workshop or when reached afterward by the Tampa Bay Times. But near the end of the discussion, she offered a blunt assessment: "Having an invocation doesn't give me all the vibes."

The district has surveyed how other Florida school boards handle invocations. Hillsborough and Pasco counties were among those reviewed.

No vote has been taken.

What this means for Palm Harbor and Dunedin

Palm Harbor and Dunedin do not fall within any single-member board district. Instead, three at-large members represent these communities countywide: Laura Hine (District 1), Lisa Cane (District 2), and Vice Chairperson Dawn Peters (District 3). None of the three has publicly commented on the prayer question as of Friday, July 31.

Edmond, first elected in 2020 and running unopposed for reelection in 2026, represents District 7 in southern Pinellas County. She is a former elementary school teacher at Title 1 schools and a lifelong St. Petersburg resident.

For years, the board has invited rabbis, priests, imams, and other religious leaders to offer generally non-denominational prayers before meetings. Any policy change would apply to all regular board meetings, held on the second and fourth Tuesdays at the PCS Administration Building, 301 4th St. SW, Largo.

The board's next regular meeting falls in mid-August. Residents who want to weigh in can monitor the school board meetings page for agenda updates and public comment opportunities.