News Articles
School prayer bill amended
WTSP-TV CBS Tampa, April 12, 2010
By Dave Heller
Tallahassee, Florida - A House committee has passed an amended version of a school prayer bill that the sponsor calls a "protection of school free speech."
The legislation stems from an ACLU lawsuit against the Santa Rosa County school district against Bible study or prayers led by teachers.
As a result, the school district signed a federal court consent decree banning teachers or other school officials from participating in prayers or religious activities at school events.
Two lawmakers are pushing legislation that would prohibit schools from signing off on any agreement that infringes the First Amendment free-speech rights of teachers and students.
Representatives Greg Evers and Brad Drake say they want to prevent other school districts from entering consent decrees like the one in Santa Rosa County.
But the ACLU opposes the amended bill, saying first amendment rights are already protected, so this bill is not needed.
Spokeswoman Courtenay Strickland says the bill must be about something else.
"It's totally unnecessary, unless there is another intent," she says. "Namely, to carve out the right of school personnel to pray with students. If a teacher prays with students of one religion or denomination and not with those of another religion, that sends the message of the school favoring one religion over another, which is exactly what our founders prohibited in the Constitution."
Ed Holmes of Santa Rosa County, who has two daughters at Milton High School, urged lawmakers not to pass the bill. "If you pass this bill and teachers pray with students at high school events, my children may not feel welcome."
Bill sponsor Rep. Brad Drake says the legislation is about protecting the free speech rights of students and teachers.
"This protects the rights of all religions, races, creeds," he says. "This legislation protects those who are of Christian faith, of Jewish faith, of any other faith."
A companion measure in the Senate has not received a hearing yet.
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