This law goes into effect September 1st in Texas.
http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/editorial/5084961.html
(quote)
....the law forbids school districts from interfering with students who
wish to use school events, and their captive audience of peers, staff and
community, to express their religious views.
The law, also called the Schoolchildren's Religious Liberties Act,
requires districts to adopt a policy under which certain student leaders
must be given opportunities to speak at all school events at which
students speak publicly, including graduation, football games and morning
announcements.
As long as students do not engage in "obscene, vulgar, offensively lewd
or indecent speech," they will be permitted an open mic to express their
religious beliefs. The law attempts to get around the constitutional
prohibition against state promotion of religion by requiring schools to
provide disclaimers stating that the students' speech is not school or
district sponsored.
Rather than protecting students from religious discrimination, the law's
true accomplishment will be the creation of state-sanctioned forums for
students who wish to pray and proselytize to captive audiences. With that
comes the potential to offend everyone, including the Christian activists
who championed this bill's passage.
Students could cite their religious convictions to condemn gay and
lesbian students. They could promote their faith as the only true
religion. They could pray for the conversion of specific students. They
could even promote atheism, Satanism or paganism.
(end of quote)
I figure just one student standing up and talking about the history of
freethought in America would get this law overturned in about five
minutes. :-)
Chak
Pray. v. To ask that the laws of the universe be annulled in behalf of a
single petitioner, confessedly unworthy.
--Ambrose Bierce
|
