ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1995, Roanoke Times
DATE: Tuesday, December 5, 1995 TAG: 9512050045
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: B-1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: JOEL TURNER STAFF WRITER
IN THE WAKE of the Supreme Court's rejection of a Tennessee student's appeal, Roanoke students discuss the subject.
When Casaundra Swain kept a daily journal as part of her class work last year, she wanted to write about religious services at her church and what they meant to her. But the junior at Roanoke's William Fleming High School said she was told not to include that in her journal.
"The teacher said she didn't mind herself, but she might get into trouble if I wrote about my religion," Swain said. "She said I could write that I went to church, but I could not tell what happened."
Swain said she thinks students should be allowed to include religious experiences and themes in their assignments and homework when they are permitted to choose the topics.
Another student, Willisha Smith, agrees. "What is the point of freedom of speech if you can't write about religion?"
A majority of the students in a history class at William Fleming said Monday that teachers should allow research papers and other assignments on religious leaders and issues.
But several said religious themes should be banned in school assignments because they can cause conflict.
"It can offend people who have different religious beliefs," Chris Dickerson said. "I don't think you should get into your religion."
Dickerson agrees with the U.S. Supreme Court's recent rejection of an appeal by a Tennessee student who received a grade of zero for doing her ninth-grade English research paper on the life of Christ.
The Supreme Court didn't buy the student's argument that her teacher's decision to disallow the paper violated her free-speech rights. It left standing an appeals court ruling that the student's personal expression was not an issue because the dispute involved part of the school's curriculum.
"Learning is more vital in the classroom than free speech," the appeals court said.
The Tennessee student's teacher cited several reasons for refusing to allow a paper on Jesus, saying the student had a strong belief in Christianity that would make it difficult for her to write a dispassionate research paper.
The teacher said the student already knew much about the subject and part of the assignment's purpose was to have the students research a topic unfamiliar to them.
Roanoke Valley school divisions allow teachers to determine whether a religious topic or theme would fit within the objectives of an assignment.
"The teachers are responsible for setting up the guidelines of the lesson, and they would decide what would be appropriate," said David Partington, director of secondary education for Roanoke schools.
"We wouldn't be promoting [religious themes], but if the topic was within the guidelines for the lesson, you would have an issue of freedom of expression," Partington said.
He said he was not aware ofSwain's complaint that she was not allowed to write about her church experiences, but he said that might not have complied with the objectives of the assignment.
Roanoke County has no written policy on students' selection of religious topics in assignments, but school administrators said religious topics are judged by the same academic standards as secular themes.
"If students can choose the topics, they can write on whatever topic they want as long as they meet the goals of the writing assignment," said Garland Life, senior director of instruction.
In Salem, teachers determine whether a religious theme is appropriate for an assignment, said Joe Kirby, director of instruction. The school system has no broad ban on religious topics in assignments if students have a choice, he said.
"If it is appropriate to the assignment, I don't see any problem with it," Kirby said. "As long as the assignment is followed, we don't have any restrictions."
Federal and state guidelines on religious expression and activities in public schools hold that students should not be discriminated against because they choose religious themes in assignments.
The federal guidelines, distributed to schools this year at the request of President Clinton, read:
"Students may express their beliefs about religion in the form of homework, artwork and other written and oral assignments free of discrimination based on the religious content of their submissions.
"Such home and classroom work should be judged by ordinary academic standards of substance and relevance, and against other legitimate pedagogical concerns identified by the school."
The state guidelines say in art projects, for example, teachers should not discriminate against students who prefer a religious theme over a secular one or vice versa.
The guidelines say:
"Students have a right to express their religious values in their class work, assignments and work product. A student's grade or evaluation must never be affected by his or her religious belief or non-belief."
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