THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Friday, June 23, 1995 TAG: 9506230549
SECTION: LOCAL PAGE: B2 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY JON GLASS, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: RICHMOND LENGTH: Medium: 54 lines
The state Board of Education on Thursday unanimously approved guidelines for religious expression in schools that one board member said would allow God back into the classroom.
``There was a time when the Supreme Court said God was not welcome in schools - period,'' board member Peter Decker, a Norfolk lawyer, said of the 1962 high court ruling that outlawed school prayer.
``Now, at least, by invitation the good Lord can come back into the school.''
The guidelines are not intended to promote religious activity, said state Attorney General Jim Gilmore, whose office helped develop them.
Instead, Gilmore said in a statement, they will help local school officials recognize that separation of church and state does not bar legitimate religious expression in the schools, protected under the Constitution's free-speech amendment.
``No longer will children be told they cannot quietly read the Bible on a school bus,'' Gilmore said. ``No longer will children of Jewish faith be denied attendance awards for observing prescribed Jewish holidays.
``No longer will there be uncertainty over recognizing December 25 as Christmas.
``No longer will students be told their class assignment is unacceptable because it includes a religious reference.''
The 11-page document walks local officials through the legal history of the issue, highlighting court rulings on specific kinds of expression, from religious holidays and student dress to distribution of religious literature and equal access to student Bible clubs.
The state General Assembly last year directed the board to develop the guidelines. Board member Alan L. Wurtzel called the issue ``a porcupine to pick up,'' but he praised the attorney general's office for ``excellent work.''
When the board took up the issue last summer, board President James P. Jones said he thought the state probably would be sued over the guidelines. But he said Thursday that was less likely because ``I do not believe they state any principle that is not supported in the law.''
The American Civil Liberties Union of Virginia criticized a draft proposal on the ground that it gave inaccurate advice on class-initiated prayer at graduation. The ACLU argued that a 1993 federal court ruling in Loudoun County outlawing such prayer was law in Virginia.
The document approved Thursday does not address the ACLU's concern. It states that the Loudoun County ruling applies only to that county because the Supreme Court has not ruled on the issue. by CNB