Lexington, South Carolina Gets Religion
by Joseph C. Hinson
Thursday August 17, 2000
In a 3 to 2 vote, Lexington school board members passed a resolution that says students have a constitutional right to lead public prayers at high school football games should they so choose.
The United States Supreme Court is of a different opinion. The court decision in June said student-led prayers broadcast at football games violate the separation of church and state.
In any case, when students in Lexington District 3 attend their first football game of the season, a presume prayer will be allowed, as always.
Now legal questions surround the school board's action permitting students to pray over the public-address system at Batesburg-Leesville High. And there is confusion in the district as to whether the decision will be reconsidered at a later meeting.
"I don't think it's going to hold up because I don't think it's on firm legal ground," said Robert Epting, one of the two board members who voted against the resolution. He then added, "My vote certainly was not a vote against allowing our students to pray." Because the Christian Right will tell you that anyone who is against public prayers at school events are against God, the American flag, mothers and apple pie.
But Lexington 3 board Chairman Ralph Kennedy Jr., an attorney, says the board vote protects students' constitutional right to express their religious views. Kennedy, who voted in favor of the resolution, said the matter was put to a vote because district administrators were unclear about what the Supreme Court ruling meant.
That sounds like a lawyer talking to me. I think they are thumbing their nose at the Supreme Court on this matter. After all, the nine justices are all godless liberals.
The 6-3 Supreme Court decision stemmed from a Texas case in which a school district established a policy to elect student council chaplains to pray over the public-address systems before high school football games. The law was struck down as to public-led prayer, not prayer itself. As any logical, thinking man or woman knows, a student can pray at any time he or she wants to. Also, if a group of students get together to pray, they can do that too. What the decision struck down was a prayer over the loud speaker.
It's very simple, folks. When we allow people to get up on a stage at a football game or other school event and pray to their god, the concept of separation of church and state slowly begins to vanish. It gives the power over who individuals want to pray to -- if they want to pray at all -- from themselves to someone else. All people should be against this no matter what religion they belong to.
David Duff, whose law firm represents Lexington 3 and several other South Carolina districts, was advised of the school board's vote after the fact by Superintendent Ray Geddings. Duff said he hopes the board "revisits" its decision. He said he has concerns about the resolution passed by the board in light of the Supreme Court's ruling.
"I think the Supreme Court has spoken clearly on prayers prior to school-sponsored events, such as football games, where surrounding circumstances, like the use of a public address system, would indicate the state is endorsing such a prayer," he said. "It's a fairly clear ruling.
"A spontaneous prayer by one student or more than one student is protected. It's where schools or school officials can be perceived as endorsing prayer, even when it's student-led, that there's a problem."
Kathy Mahoney, an attorney for the Childs and Halligan law firm, agrees. Based on the Texas case, the firm is advising districts not to allow pre-game, student-led prayers.
Both Mahoney and Duff say the ruling does not apply to graduation exercises. The distinction, they say, is that unlike routine athletic events, graduation ceremonies have been viewed by courts as once-in-a-lifetime events that can be appropriately "solemnized" by prayer.
If Lexington District 3 acts on the policy change, they could face a legal fight from the American Civil Liberties Union.
David Kennison, the S.C. representative to the national ACLU and a former president of the state affiliate, said, "We will defend religious freedom, but we will also defend against the establishment of religion." He said the ACLU would challenge the Lexington 3 policy if prayers actually were said over the public address system and a resident within the jurisdiction of the school system complains to them about it.
Greg Kirby, chairman of the Cherokee County school board, said he is reviewing options his school district might take concerning prayer before games. One possibility: having students pray at a local radio station and having the prayer broadcast before the game.
The godheads are always hard at work, it seems, trying to intrude on my right and on your right to pray and worship how was see fit. Frankly, this makes me sick to my stomach. It's not unlike the recent rulings by local boards to put up a plaque of the Ten Commandments in a prominent place in schools. As if words on a wall are going to "save the children."
Can you imagine a scene where a student or group of students have come to school that day intent on killing as many of their teachers and classmates as possible? Here they come in the main foyer armed like The Terminator when all of a sudden, they see the Ten Commandments posted on the wall. What are they going to do then? Throw down the weapons and ask The Lord to forgive them on the spot?
Now I can imagine what some of you are thinking. You're thinking that if the Ten Commandments were posted on the walls of schools, if there was public prayer in schools, if evolution was taught to be wrong, then kids would grow up with morals. They wouldn't tattoo themselves silly and pierce things that were never meant to be pierced.
Guess what, folks? Teaching kids morals and responsible behavior is your job as parents. It's my job as a parent too. I would not want anyone else to have the responsibility of teaching my children things I should be teaching them, certainly not an underpaid teacher in a run down school somewhere in Kansas or Arkansas or South Carolina.
Besides, the things I can't teach my son (who is seven months old) and my daughter (due in December) I can take them to a church if I so choose. But don't force feed my children your religion. You should want the same for your kids too.
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Much of this rant comes from an article this past weekend in The State by Karen E. York, Ken Knelly and Melanie Hughes of Knight Ridder.