Religions > Atheism > Schools balance church, state separation this holiday season
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19 Dec 2006 03:38:51 AM |
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Schools balance church, state separation this holiday season |
Schools balance church, state separation this holiday season
http://www.cjp.org/content_display.html?ArticleID=205225
[excerpt]
By Sarah Reynolds, The Sun, Yuma, Ariz.
Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News
12/17/2006
Dec. 17--This time of year, many schools struggle with how to celebrate the
holiday season without crossing the line between the separation of church
and state.
"I'd say over the past few years, things have been reined in a little bit,"
said Chris Weigel, spokesman for the Crane Elementary School District.
"People are probably a little more leery of making expressions of a
religious nature for fear of the possibility of reprisal."
The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) put out a statement on the issue,
"Religion in the Public Schools," along with other advocacy groups and
religious organizations. It states that most of the nervousness around the
issue comes out of confusion.
"Unfortunately, this aspect of constitutional law is not as well known as
it should be," the ACLU states. "Some say that the Supreme Court has
declared the public schools 'religion-free zones' or that the law is so
murky that school officials cannot know what is legally permissible.
"The former claim is simply wrong. And as to the latter, while there are
some difficult issues, much has been settled. It is also unfortunately true
that public school officials, due to their busy schedules, may not be as
fully aware of this body of law as they could be. As a result, in some
school districts some of these rights are not being observed."
Attorney Chris Thomas, legal director of the Arizona School Boards
Association (ASBA), agreed that most concerns are caused by a lack of
knowledge about the issue.
The topic of the separation of church and state is something the ASBA has
been trying to educate its members about for the past several years.
Thomas said they have not received many questions about it from schools
this year.
"I don't tend to get a whole lot of questions from school districts because
I think they've worked out most of the issues. This time of year, most of
the questions come from reporters."
Symbols of a purely religious nature are not OK, Thomas said, and schools
should not promote one religion over another or force children to
participate in something that is against their beliefs.
Beyond that, however, most Christmas parties and concerts are fine.
[end excerpt]
***************************************************************
You are invited to check out the following:
The Rise of the Theocratic States of America
http://members.tripod.com/~candst/theocracy.htm
American Theocrats - Past and Present
http://members.tripod.com/~candst/theocrats.htm
The Constitutional Principle: Separation of Church and State
http://members.tripod.com/~candst/index.html
[and to join the discussion group for the above site and/or Separation of
Church and State in general, listed below]
HRSepCnS · Hampton Roads [Virginia] SepChurch&State
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/HRSepCnS/
[Its not just Hampton Roads folks who are members, there are members from
all over the US and a couple from overseas as well]
***************************************************************
.. . . You can't understand a phrase such as "Congress shall make no law
respecting an establishment of religion" by syllogistic reasoning. Words
take their meaning from social as well as textual contexts, which is why "a
page of history is worth a volume of logic." New York Trust Co. v. Eisner,
256 U.S. 345, 349, 41 S.Ct. 506, 507, 65 L.Ed. 963 (1921) (Holmes, J.).
Sherman v. Community Consol. Dist. 21, 980 F.2d 437, 445 (7th Cir. 1992)
.. . .
****************************************************************
USAF LT. COL (Ret) Buffman (Glen P. Goffin) wrote
"You pilot always into an unknown future;
facts are your only clue. Get the facts!"
That philosophy 'snipit' helped to get me, and my crew, through a good
many combat missions and far too many scary, inflight, emergencies.
It has also played a significant role in helping me to expose the
plethora of radical Christian propaganda and lies that we find at
almost every media turn.
*****************************************************************
THE CONSTITUTIONAL PRINCIPLE:
SEPARATION OF CHURCH AND STATE
http://members.tripod.com/~candst/index.html
****************************************************************
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