Watchdog | Keller ISD invites a messianic clergyperson accused of sexual assault to say a prayer
invited an area religious leader to deliver the opening prayer at the December board meeting.
The other problem here is that Griffin was introduced as a rabbi and part of his prayer was in Hebrew. But Griffin is a self-proclaimed Messianic Jew, which is a Christian sect, separate from Judaism, that believes Jesus is the great messiah. Whether that makes him a true rabbi is a topic open for debate.
She showed it to Laney Hawes, parent of four children in the district, who has filed open records requests to learn how the district picks religious leaders to speak. After the new board members were elected in May, they added prayer to public meetings. So far, all pastors brought in have been evangelical Christians.
Hawes said board member Chris Roof told her that Griffin hadn’t been convicted. She said Roof also told her that the opening prayer is not for the community. It’s for the board, and since all seven members believe in Jesus, this isn’t a problem. After obtaining a search warrant, police took a saliva sample from Griffin. They also cut out portions of the carpet to check for DNA and found semen traces that were a match in both the rabbi’s office and in the “welcome room,” court records show.