Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: FRIDAY, June 24, 1994 TAG: 9406290035
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: B1 EDITION: NEW RIVER VALLEY
SOURCE:
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
Some board members indicated they were willing to challenge court rulings that school-sponsored prayer is unconstitutional, while others said the board should just set guidelines for student-led prayers to help localities avoid lawsuits.
The board agreed to poll Virginians on the issue this summer and hold five public hearings in the fall once guidelines are drafted. Final board action is planned for January.
``There's no question in my mind that our guidelines probably will wind up in court,'' said board President James P. Jones.
But he said the state board was taking on a burden for local school systems, which have been struggling to determine how much prayer is constitutional.
Board member Peter Decker, a Norfolk attorney who jokingly called himself "God's lawyer," said the board should break new legal ground by returning prayer to schools.
``When the Supreme Court invited God out of our schools, that's when the seedy element began coming into our schools,'' said Decker, who vowed to make restoring prayer his priority on the board.
His remarks brought applause from board member Michelle Easton, but others said he was going too far.
Jones said it is unlikely that the U.S. Supreme Court would reverse its rulings that have banned school-sponsored prayers in the classroom and at graduations.
``I don't see how it does anybody any good for us to take a position that is clearly in violation of the law,'' he said. ``I just don't want to tilt at windmills.''
``How do we accomplish it without it ending up in the courts?'' asked board member Martha V. Pennino. She said she believes in prayer, but ``I don't know that I can impose upon others my prayer.''
The General Assembly held similar debates before passing legislation last winter to require the Board of Education to draft constitutional guidelines for student-initiated prayer.
The American Civil Liberties Union already has promised to sue the state over the guidelines.
Cathy Clark, a Department of Education official heading the study, said the staff will develop guidelines that would help school divisions with specific situations.
They might include whether students can say grace before lunch or at an athletic banquet or whether students can deliver prayers over the public address system.
She said there are many gray areas because federal appeals courts have handed down conflicting rulings on student-initiated prayer.
by CNB