THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Thursday, September 15, 1994 TAG: 9409150458
SECTION: LOCAL PAGE: B3 EDITION: NORTH CAROLINA
SOURCE: BY PERRY PARKS, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: ELIZABETH CITY LENGTH: Short : 39 lines
Pasquotank County commissioners on Wednesday unanimously passed a resolution calling on cities and counties across the country to ``insure that no government restriction be placed on public school student prayer.''
The resolution follows on the heels of a similar document that passed the Dare County Board of Commissioners last week.
Noting First Amendment protection of religious rights, the resolution states that ``no restrictions should be placed on a public school student's prayerful relationship with their God as long as such relationship does not interfere with the prayerful relationship of others and their right to a public education.''
Commissioner Bill Owens said the resolution takes the position that Supreme Court rulings blocking some forms of school prayer are unwarranted restrictions.
``I never like mandates from the federal government,'' Owens said.
Owens' opponent in the race for the North Carolina House of Representatives, Republican John Schrote, had challenged Owens last week to get such a resolution passed. Owens earlier said he did not believe local government had the power to supersede federal law.
Owens on Wednesday said the resolution would have been taken up by the commissioners regardless of Schrote's challenge.
Commissioners said that several counties had asked Pasquotank to consider the resolution. Requests have been in county offices for a couple of weeks, County Manager Randy Keaton said.
Owens said commissioners were not aware of the circulating resolution until the Dare board passed it. by CNB