Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: WEDNESDAY, April 12, 1995 TAG: 9504120079
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: C-1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: JOEL TURNER STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
"I believe our government is misinterpreting our Constitution in a way that our framers never dreamed," said Carlton McKee of Hardy. "Freedom of religion does not stop at the schoolhouse door."
The Rev. Jim Foringer said the U.S. Supreme Court has made an assault on the Judeo-Christian tradition and created a tyranny of the minority.
"School administrators, teachers and students are afraid to exercise their freedom of religion because of the fear of reprisals and lawsuits," said Foringer, pastor of Christ Church in Roanoke.
"Russia is asking for Bibles for its schools, but we are going in the opposite direction," he said.
The guidelines say school officials should be cautious about participation in religious events because it could be misinterpreted to mean the school is endorsing the activities.
Others speakers supported the guidelines, saying they are needed to ensure that schools protect the rights of all students and prevent any student from being coerced into religious activity.
Kitty Boitnott, a Roanoke County teacher, said the guidelines will provide freedom from government-sponsored religion.
Even Foringer, who decried the removal of prayer and religion from schools, said the guidelines were a step in the right direction.
There were several proposals for change, the most common being a request that teachers and school officials be allowed to participate in student-initiated religious activities before and after school.
The guidelines say school officials should be cautious about participation in religious events because it could be misinterpreted to mean the school is endorsing the activities.
Several speakers said the rights of officials and teachers are being denied if they can't participate in such events outside the school day. They said the ban effectively promotes secular humanism.
The guidelines were drafted by the state Department of Education and Attorney General Jim Gilmore at the direction of the General Assembly. They are designed to provide assistance for school systems but are not mandatory.
Other speakers objected to a provision that would allow student-initiated prayer at high school graduation ceremonies. The Supreme Court has banned school-sponsored prayer at graduation exercises, but there are conflicting lower-court opinions on whether student-initiated prayer is constitutional.
"I don't believe it is proper for a student to lead a prayer before an assembled group [at a graduation]," said Hope Trachtenberg-Fifer. If the students want to make personal inspirational comments, that would be acceptable, she said, but they should not be allowed to pray before a group.
David Nova said the guidelines appeared to be thorough and thoughtful, but he suggested that several points be clarified or amplified. Nova said it should be made clear that teachers can have clergy members speak to classes on relevant issues.
Abby Fifer objected to a provision that would allow students to distribute religious material during school on the same basis as nonreligious material.
"This makes minority students feel uncomfortable," said Fifer, who said she is one of fewer than a dozen Jewish students at Patrick Henry High School in Roanoke.
The Rev. J. Allie McNider, minister to students at First Baptist Church in Roanoke, said the guidelines should clarify how far teachers can go in expressing their religious beliefs. McNider said he sees no difference between a teacher attending a student-initiated religious event outside the school day and a piano recital or school sports event.
The 63 guidelines cover a broad range of activities, from religious clubs and holidays to moments of silence. Except for the provisions on prayer at graduation ceremonies, the American Civil Liberties Union said the guidelines seem to be based on current law and court rulings.
The state Board of Education, which is holding five hearings statewide on the guidelines this week, will review the guidelines before adopting them, possibly by July 1, said Lewis Nelson, board vice president.
by CNB