Photoessay #2021 - What do you think was going on at Hillhouse High?

This is for all of you faithful readers especially 19th century American historians.  Or have friends with knowledge of same.

Here's what I'm pondering...Hillhouse High was started as a public high school in 1859.  In 1877, the enrollment was 579.  But there was trouble.  Two members of the Board of Education, both members of the powerful Committee on Schools, James Earle and Maier Zunder recommended to the Board that the devotional exercises at the high school be discontinued.  Recently the time allotted had been shortened from 30 minutes to 10 minutes.  Mr. Earle reported "disorder" at the high school.  Mr. Zunder said that "People would be disgusted if they saw what was going on there".  Very strong language from Mr. Zunder.

Mr. Earle did feel that the schools should be secular; Mr. Zunder agreed. etc etc

But here's my question....what do you think was happening at Hillhouse that would cause them to make those comments???

I asked my writing group and they thought it was maybe because some kids weren't dressed right or had dirt on their shoes.  Or talked out of turn.  No, I don't buy this, people are falling into the romantic 19th century past here.  Something major was going on.  I suggested mouthing off or disrupting the service.  Maybe the Catholic students objecting to the Protestant elements?  Or walking out?  The teacher's refusing?

What do you think?  What was going on?  I can't figure out any way I can find out.  These darn people are dead and a school district doesn't keep archives.  I'm lucky to have the writeups of the meetings in the daily papers.  We don't have that here and now.