EAST LIVERPOOL, Ohio - Prayer was still part of Sunday's East Liverpool High School's commencement ceremonies in spite of a decision by the board of education to drop it from the program.

Superintendent Larry Walton tells 21 News that the prayer had been part of commencement for the ten years he has been with the school.

After a complaint was filed by a parent, the district received a letter from The Freedom From Religion Foundation citing legal rulings on the separation of church and state.

As a result, the board instructed the school choir director to drop the Lord's Prayer during the graduation ceremony.

The graduates did not sing the prayer. However during the ceremony, the students stood up in unison and recited it.

After the students finished, they were met by applause from those attending the event.