The auditorium at Western Hills was packed with more than 200 people last Tuesday, but it wasn’t the meeting agenda that drew a crowd. Speakers from around the state weighed in on the potential appeal of Judge Ronald Lagueux’s decision to remove the prayer banner at Cranston West.

The Cranston School Committee has not yet decided if they will appeal, and no date for such a decision has been announced.

“Our lawyers have not gotten into any specific detail with us regarding that. Then and only then will the School Committee contemplate actions that we might take,” said member Frank Lombardi, explaining that the Beckett Fund attorneys whom the district acquired pro bono are currently analyzing the 40-page decision and will then make a recommendation to the committee.

The committee had another meeting scheduled for Wednesday evening, after the Herald deadline, and expected a similarly-sized crowd.

At the center of the case is Cranston West junior Jessica Ahlquist, the plaintiff in the ACLU’s case to rule the banner as unconstitutional under the Establishment Clause, which seeks to prohibit state-sponsored religion. Despite the rowdy nature of the crowd, Ahlquist stood in line to speak again about the case. Cranston Police officers were present to escort her in and out of the school.

“I want to urge you guys, when the decision comes, to not appeal this. Judge Lagueux made his decision,” she said, pointing out that Lagueux is Catholic. “And even he sees that this does not need to be in a public school. It’s a constitutional issue and it has nothing to do with religion. Religion does not have a place in a public school. This country was not founded on the ideas of Christianity.”

West classmate Taylor Grenga took a similar position, noting that the school creed that hangs on the opposite wall in the West auditorium conveys a similar, positive message that encourages students to do their best and be a good person.

“It’s very similar and basically contains the same message as the prayer, but in a more secular context,” she said.

In Grenga’s opinion, the creed is “perfectly acceptable in a public school,” as there is no mention of God or any religious entity.

“Since Jews and Muslims do not address their God as a heavenly father, it is a Christian prayer,” she said of the banner in question.

Several students who spoke in favor of the decision as it stands were heckled by the crowd, many of whom wore signs around their necks that said “APPEAL – or vote them out.” Superintendent Peter Nero called the room to order, saying, “You folks who boo, you’re setting the example for these kids.”

The attitude of some opponents was in the spotlight last week and continues to be as Cranston Police investigates threats made against Ahlquist on blogs and other online mediums. Several speakers, including those in support of an appeal, chastised those who would personally attack the 16-year-old plaintiff.

“Most of us, I wish all of us, are not against her; we should not be. She is a young lady who stood up for what she thought she believed in,” said Bea England. “I myself pray for her every day because I know what she must be going through. No one should be treated this way.”

Pat Macassey, the student council president at West, disagrees with his classmate but defended her right to speak out, calling the threats of these bullies “immature, unacceptable and counterproductive.”

“We should appeal this case. The prayer is not, in fact, a Christian prayer but rather a positive statement,” he said. “If we’re going to go down, let’s go down fighting.”

Still, emotions ran high, as the vast majority of speakers called upon the School Committee to appeal the decision.

Kara Russo, a regular at the prayer hearing proceedings, called the decision “devastating to religious freedom” and said she thought the committee would likely win an appeal. She and her fiancé, Chris Young, believe that Ahlquist lacks standing in the case because she was not a taxpayer when the prayer was first put up and they disagree that feelings are cause for standing. Moreover, they believe the decision endorses atheism as the sponsored religion.

“Should a small minority be able to decide what should stay and what should not stay?” asked Lisa French. “You’re spitting in the face of God Almighty if you do not fight.”

French “promised” the committee that they would be voted out of office if they did not take up an appeal. Later in the meeting, she was removed from the audience after an outburst that interrupted BASICS President Kerri Kelleher. French took offense when Kelleher used the word “ignorant” to describe speakers who insinuated the district could afford to take up an appeal. French proceeded to throw money at the committee before being escorted out by Cranston Police.

Kelleher did not defend the court decision but rather urged banner supporters to find another way to pay for an appeal. While the initial representation for the district was provided pro bono, the amount of ACLU legal fees that Cranston is on the hook for remains unclear. Looking at the budget, Kelleher fears that an appeal could carve out another $300,000, further damaging student programs.

“We operated this school district last year without programs, without textbooks and below the Basic Education Plan, so before anyone gets up here and speaks from a point of ignorance I suggest that you grasp the numbers and the figures that this school district is going into,” she said. “My point is if anyone wants to support an appeal in keeping this banner up, take this fight to the mayor’s office and the City Council’s office. This School Committee here tonight does not have the funding.”

Duane Albro supports an appeal, but sympathized with the school committee for the difficult decision they face, especially given the district’s financial situation.

“It’s an expensive proposition,” he said of an appeal. “I believe it’s worth fighting for, but that doesn’t make your opinion and your job any easier.”