From the Richmond Times Dispatch:
A bill that would have codified the rights of students to pray, participate in religious activities or wear faith-themed clothing on public school property at public events was vetoed by Gov. Terry McAuliffe Friday.
The school prayer-bill veto of Senate Bill 236, the third of McAuliffe’s term, followed a recent veto of a similarly themed bill governing prayer by chaplains in the Virginia National Guard.
Sponsored by state Sen. Charles W. Carrico Sr., R-Grayson, the legislation would have required every school system to have a policy allowing students to make religious speeches at any school event in which students are allowed to speak. It also would have removed the liability of school systems for allowing religious speech by having administrators offer disclaimers that student views are not endorsed by the school division.
Supporters said the legislation would protect religious liberty. But the governor disagreed.
“Although proponents claim that SB 236 is needed to protect the religious freedom of Virginia’s public school students, the bill actually infringes on students’ right to be free from coercive prayer and religious messaging at both voluntary and required school events,” McAuliffe wrote in a statement accompanying his veto of the legislation Friday afternoon.
“It is firmly settled in law that the Establishment Clause of the United States Constitution forbids school-sponsored prayer and religious indoctrination, as well as any school initiative designed to endorse payer or sponsor a particular religious viewpoint,” he wrote.
“Further, the federal Equal Access Act already requires high schools to allow students’ religious clubs the same privileges afforded to secular clubs.”
McAuliffe’s veto aligns with views expressed by the Virginia chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union, which said the legislation was unnecessary because similar protections already exist, and also warned that it could have lead to government-sponsored religious speech at public schools and religious coercion of students.
Good for Governor McAuliffe! Once the camel’s nose is under the tent, it is hard to remove the camel.
Protect religious liberty? Ha! More than likely those who didn’t believe as the speaker believed would have been bullied. We can’t have that in public schools. Being left out is a form of bullying. Kids are captive audiences. Many of them arrive at our public schools with their own belief systems, taught by their parents. Should young Catholics, Muslims, Presbyterians, Mormons and Jews have to have the religious beliefs of Methodists or Baptists, or Pentecostals thrust on them all day? Not in America.
The real test of religious liberty is to ask if Del. Carrico would have wanted the religion microphone handed to a Muslim. The answer would probably be no. Maybe Del. Carrico wanted this bill to only apply for Christians. We might ask the same thing about Wiccans. Perhaps the student speaker could encourage the audience to get sky-clad and worship Mother Earth. The family groups would be howling with outrage.
McAuliffe is right. Students have a right to be at school without any religious coercion. They can meet after school in clubs or at their church for worship and religious expression. The rest of our kids don’t need to be subjected to it.
“The real test of religious liberty is to ask if Del. Carrico would have wanted the religion microphone handed to a Muslim.”
Instead of assuming such a thing….. you should ask him. You ARE a known member of the press.
I don’t see myself as a member of the press. That’s a stretch for me.
I am speculating, not saying it as a fact.
You know what I remember in high school, in Fairfax County, WT Woodson, were all the “young life” kids. Their signs were plastered all over the halls, announcements for meeting after school, etc etc etc. Well I started, with a fellow classmate, Lauren (who was NOT Jewish BTW), “Jewish Young Life” and put we put OUR posters all over the halls. Now the school did not like that and I was sent to administration. When asked why I did that, I told them I believed the school was not only endorsing Christianity, but promoting, and that I attended a public school and there should be no mixing of religion and schools, that kids were a “captive” audience. I remember my mother being called to school and supporting me. I can’t remember what happened in the end, but I made my point.
I am honestly just about fed up with the religious right manufacturing a crisis to then playing the victim. Just like I find the invocation at every BOCS meeting offensive, so do I find religious speech at school functions. There is nothing wrong with thanking G-d publicly, but what I don’t want is a sermon, telling me, the one true way is their way.
I am not sure I totally agree. What about those people who don’t claim a higher power or those people who don’t call their deity God?
I totally agree about the BOCS meeting. It is just unnecessary and strutting religion.
When I was a kid we were captive audiences to whoever got to the principal first and sold their religion the fastest. I really find public religion offensive. Mr. Howler wasn’t even allowed to say his own Lord’s prayer!!!
Men Who Built America was actually a History Channel series.
http://www.history.com/shows/men-who-built-america/about
It’s quite shocking really, how we can look back at in our history and see the more things change, the more things stay the same.
Turn of the century the wealthiest few ruled our economy and our government, it worked for awhile, they brought us the industrial revolution, but than the have nots decided they were tired of being stepped on and rose to challenge their “masters” and thus the workers rights evolved to settle the score.
The pendulum in our democracy is forever swinging. Let’s hope we see it swing back to normalcy sooner than later.
There is very little free speech in schools.
Here’s a test of the level of conformity demanded by schools: could your child attend graduation ceremonies without wearing the traditional cap and gown?
I would say no, they cannot. Its a dress code thing.