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Department of Education releases guidelines - continued

Original story title, Department of Education releases guidelines, first published in the July 2003 Issue of 2safeschools Front Page, Copyright �2003, All Rights Reserved.

By James Kraemer, �2003, All Rights Reserved.
May be reprinted with permission from 2safeschools.

Page 2, continued - In Newdow's court battle over the Pledge of Allegiance, mentioned earlier, seldom is it mentioned in the press that his daughter and the child's mother are both dedicated Christians, not atheists. Neither the child's mother Sandy Banning or their daughter had anything to do with bringing the lawsuit, which Banning asserts was, "her [daughter's] father on his own agenda."

The Maryland school bus driver had permission and support from parents to hold the prayer sessions on the school bus. No student was forced to remain on the bus during the brief sessions.

D. James Kennedy, Ph.D., president of Coral Ridge Ministries and a senior minister of Coral Ridge Presbyterian Church in Fort Lauderdale (Florida), in an exclusive WorldNetDaily.com story, "1st Amendment protects students who pray," said he would be willing to wager that most Americans would be surprised to learn that as a direct result of the 'No Child Left Behind Act' the U.S. Department of Education released guidelines on prayer and religious activities at school, guidelines which provides that:

  • Students are allowed to pray together on campus, and during school hours, as long as learning time is not interrupted;
  • Students may bring their Bibles to school and read them;
  • Students may say grace alone, or with other students during lunch time;
  • Students can organize prayer groups, religious clubs, and "see you at the pole" gatherings. These student-led Christian groups must be given the same access to school facilities as non-religious groups;
  • Teachers may participate in student-led prayer;
  • If a public school has a "minute of silence," a student is allowed to pray during that time;
  • Public schools must release students for parent-approved, off-campus religious instruction;
  • Students are allowed to express their Christian faith in homework assignments and have the assignments graded on merit;
  • When student speakers are selected, based on neutral criteria, and retain control of the content of the message, they are allowed to engage in religious speech or pray in student assemblies or graduation.

"As of August 2003, Colorado became the 33rd state to require schools to include the pledge sometime during the school day." -- Associated Press
According to Dr. Kennedy, public schools that do not comply with these regulations stand to lose federal funding.

Advice on this issue is becoming available that encourages public schools to stop interfering with prayer and other religious expression on school grounds. One example comes from the The School Administrator, May, 2001 Issue, Handling Student-Led Prayer at School Events, By Nathan Essex, Dean of the College of Education of University of Memphis, Tenn.:

"Do not censor private speech rights of students. Public school students enjoy many of the same constitutional rights as adults. Student free speech cannot be banned unless it creates material or substantial disruption in the school. In the absence of disruption or disrespect for authority, students must be free to voluntarily express their religious views even though they may create personal discomfort for school leaders."

The Associated Press recently reported that as of August 2003, Colorado became the 33rd state to require schools to include the pledge sometime during the school day.

School board or transportation policies or activities banning religous discussion and prayer may be unwittingly setting themselves up for a lawsuit.

Because Christianity is by far the leading religion in this nation -- polls show 90% claim a Christian faith and believe there is a God -- it would be correct to expect Christians to be tolerant toward other faiths. It would not be correct, nor should it be expected, for other faiths, including evolutionists, to be intolerant toward Christians and their beliefs.

Recent advancements in technology this past decade have made significant gains in support of intelligent design theory, and other complex theories, so much so that bus drivers can expect to hear discussions on the school bus about the incredible complexity of the single cell, still promoted by some evolutionists and school teachers to be a simple structure or blob.

There's much that the theory of evolution can not account for. Young minds will likely discuss on the school bus various theories many of us have little or no understanding concerning.

School bus drivers, while in the course of their duties, should be properly advised to remain neutral -- neither encouraging or discouraging prayer or religious discussions on their buses.

Perhaps and ironically, the best path for school bus drivers to follow, concerning this issue, is to to stay on the straight and narrow path. (jk)

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MORE INFORMATION AND RESOURCES: 1st Amendment protects students who pray, by D. James Kennedy, Ph.D. | Praying bus driver sues school board, by Jon Ward, the Washington Times | Darwin's Black Box, by Michael Behe | Do Biochemical Machines Show Intelligent Design?, from Talk.Origins | Statement on Teaching Evolution, by the National Association of Biology Teachers | The Fallacies of Evolution, by Tom DeRosa, Creation Studies Institute (at one time an atheist and public school science teacher) | Does 'Irreducible Complexity' refute neo-Darwinism?, A review by Gert Korthof, Biologist | Evolution Science Sites | Creation Science Sites | Educational Study Guides for Homeshooling Families | More links



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