Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: WEDNESDAY, January 18, 1995                   TAG: 9501180068
SECTION: VIRGINIA                    PAGE: C-1   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: JOEL TURNER STAFF WRITER
DATELINE:                                 LENGTH: Medium

SCHOOLS STRIP AWAY HOLIDAYS' RELIGIOUS ROOTS, PTA SAYS

Roanoke schools are going too far in trying to exclude religious history and symbols from the study of the culture and customs of countries, Parent-Teacher Association leaders say.

Some elementary school teachers have been told by administrators to exclude materials of a religious nature from decorations on classroom doors during the holiday season, the PTA leaders said.

The school division has a policy on religion in schools, said Lissy Runyon, public information officer, but she is not aware that any such directive has been given to teachers.

The Central Council PTA has asked the School Board to clarify the school system's policy on religious materials.

In its attempt to maintain separation of church and state, the school system is heading toward the exclusion of anything pertaining to God and religion in the schools, the PTA said.

The PTA leaders have won a sympathetic ear from the American Civil Liberties Union and the School Board chairman.

``It sounds as if [the schools] might have gone a little overboard and excluded everything related to religion,'' said Kent Willis, executive director of the Virginia chapter of the ACLU.

As long as religious information is part of the study of the culture and customs of a country, Willis said, religious materials and history can be included without violating the Constitution.

A nativity scene in front of a school or a city hall would violate the Constitution, Willis said, but a Christian symbol could be included in the decorations on a classroom door if there were other religious symbols or secular material.

He said the main issue is the context. If religious exhibits are presented alone, such as a nativity scene in front of a public building, there would be a clear implication that the government is endorsing or promoting a particular religion, he said.

But if the religious symbols are included in a larger context without any endorsement by the schools, they would be constitutional.

School Board Chairman Nelson Harris has referred the PTA's letter to Superintendent Wayne Harris to determine whether the city policy should be clarified.

Nelson Harris, minister of Ridgewood Baptist Church, said he found the PTA's request to be reasonable and refreshing.

``While the law correctly prohibits the promotion of established religions in public schools, we should not be pushed to the extreme of pretending religion is nonexistent and has not played a role in the historical and cultural development of America,'' Nelson Harris said in a letter to the PTA.

He said the teaching of America's diverse faith experiences would be appropriate - and necessary - in a presentation of the country's history and culture.

The city's policy says that teachers can use the Bible or other religious materials only as a nonsectarian instructional tool. If there are questions about what is proper, the teachers must contact their supervisors.

The policy says that the school system shall not allow proselytizing or sectarian religious instruction in the schools.

The school system allows children to observe religious holidays. It allows a minute of silence each school day, in accordance with federal and state laws.