On October 7, 2005, shortly after being informed by then-Superintendent of Schools Jo Ann Magistro that he would not be permitted to join his football team in prayer as he had done in the past and that some parents had complained about the prayers, East Brunswick High School coach Marcus Borden resigned from his position. Borden, also a tenured Spanish teacher, had by then had a 23-year career with East Brunswick Public Schools. District spokeswoman Trish LaDuca told the East Brunswick newspaper "Home News Tribune" that a "representative of the school district cannot constitutionally initiate prayer, encourage it or lead it."