THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Tuesday, April 11, 1995 TAG: 9504110308
SECTION: LOCAL PAGE: B1 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY JON GLASS, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: NORFOLK LENGTH: Long : 101 lines
At a community conference on youth crime and violence at Bowling Park Elementary School last week, a group of schoolkids sang about Jesus. Parents stressed the need to instill moral values in children. One speaker launched into a mini-sermon about Jesus' saving grace.
Most of the participants at the Thursday morning meeting were parents whose children attend the majority-black school, and nobody objected to the repeated religious references.
But the school-sponsored event raises a question that goes to the heart of a nationwide debate over a complex and controversial topic: Does religious expression have a place in our public schools?
The U.S. Supreme Court outlawed organized prayer in public schools in 1962. Since then, court cases involving other types of religious activity in the schools have been fought around the country, resulting in often conflicting rulings by federal judges.
In Virginia, the state Board of Education and the Attorney General's Office have drafted guidelines on school prayer and other religious expression to help local school officials stay out of legal hot water. The board is asking for public comment on the proposals at meetings this week.
The proposed guidelines try to stake out a middle ground between two seemingly contradictory constitutional principles: separation of church and state vs. freedom of religious expression.
The upshot of the 26-page document is that school officials should remain neutral toward religion, being careful not to promote it but at the same time recognizing that there is room for it.
School authorities must ``understand their Constitutional duty to reasonably accommodate the religious heritage and pluralism of our people, and not adopt the impermissible view that any and all religious expression must be banished from the public school,'' the guidelines state.
The General Assembly last year directed the state board to draft the guidelines. Some lawmakers said they acted after learning that some principals, rather than risk being hauled into court, had put a halt to all religious activity.
While the proposed standards may not be the final word on what is legal, they do provide examples of what the courts have either banned or said was acceptable.
It's clear from court rulings, for example, that it would be illegal for a teacher or other school personnel to lead classes in devotional exercises. However, the guidelines say students could study the Bible as part of a literature course, and religious themes could be included in music, art and humanities classes.
In Virginia, a federal judge ruled in a 1993 Loudoun County case that organized prayer at graduations was illegal, even if the senior class voted for it. On the other hand, a student who speaks at graduation, such as a valedictorian, could voluntarily pray or use religious themes. School officials would be violating the student's freedom of religious speech if they tried to stop it, the guidelines state.
At Bowling Park, the school teamed up with two churches to provide adult volunteers to tutor kids and help out in other ways.
``The church plays a major role in our society,'' Bowling Park Principal Herman D. Clark Jr. said during last week's conference after the children's chorus performed a song called ``Jesus Is Real.''
``If children have a vision and a faith that they can look to, that's going to stop the crime,'' Clark said.
Norfolk School Board Chairman Ulysses Turner, who attended the Bowling Park event, said he believed that the program's religious content was acceptable legally.
``It was geared toward the community,'' he said, ``and the church is heavily involved in the community where those children attend school.'' MEMO: WHAT THE PROPOSED STATE GUIDELINES SAY
Proposed state guidelines on school prayer and other religious
expression are designed to help local school officials decide what is
acceptable and unacceptable on school grounds.
Some examples of guidelines:
Students should be excused from school to attend religious services
or observe religious holidays.
School personnel, including teachers, should not lead classes in
devotional exercises.
Schools may offer courses in comparative religion, and the Bible and
other religious themes can be discussed as part of literature, music,
art and humanities courses.
Schools may teach students important values, ethics and morality, but
not through religious indoctrination. Also, religious symbols or texts,
such as the Ten Commandments, may not be posted when the purpose is to
inspire religious devotion.
During free time, students should be allowed to read religious
literature of their own choosing and discuss religious themes with other
students.
ILLUSTRATION: PUBLIC COMMENTS
The state Board of Education is conducting meetings this week to
hear comments from the public before approving guidelines for
religious expression in public schools. The meeting for the Hampton
Roads area will begin at 7 p.m. Wednesday at Warwick High School in
Newport News at 51 Copeland Lane.
KEYWORDS: RELIGION SCHOOL PRAYER PUBLIC SCHOOLS by CNB