sway them in their judgement toward the work of their students. 

I have found myself in an interesting situation with my oldest daughter's new school.  It appears that her English Lit. teacher has assigned them a book report.  This in and of itself is not the issue.  She told the children that no religious text would be allowed. and gave the example of the Bible and koran.  Ok.. again... not a problem.  FIrstly, because I can not imagine my fourteen year old being able to read the entire Bible in the short time allotted and then being able to sum it up, with all it's content and teachings in a 600 word essay.  And secondly, I can  imagine what it would be like to try and read, who knows how many, reports on the various religious text in a school as diverse as ASFA.  So.. I was ok with this..... UNTIL.... Mackensie tried to do her report on the Left Behind book.  Her teacher again said, no.  She stated that it was Religious text.  Hmm.  now I have a problem.  Before, the teacher's reasoning behind her request was understandable to me.  Now, however, I can not say that.  Left Behind, as far a literary work is concerned is considered to be fiction, after all the characters do not exist. Granted it is based on prophesy, but the authors were very creative in spinning it around an imagined group of people and speculated time frames. 

 As God would have it.....it just so happened that on this particular day I came across, as I was not looking for it,  the US Supreme Court and the Dept of Education Guidlines for Freedom of RELIGIOUS expression in public school.  They came up with these guidlines, in which the schools must abide, so as not to infringe upon the rights of any student.  They are listed below. 

 

 

Free Time:
If students have free time during which they may engage in non-religious activities - recess, lunch-time, and so forth - then they may also use that time for religious activities such as prayer or Bible reading.

Class Assignments:
Students may express their religious beliefs in class assignments – written, oral, or art work - without discrimination because the work is religiously oriented. Teachers are to grade assignments based on their academic quality without penalty or reward for religious themes or content.

Clubs:
Students may form prayer groups or religious clubs "to the same extent that students are permitted to organize other non-curricular student activities groups." According to the Supreme Court in Good News Club v. Milford Central School (2001), that includes access to school facilities. If a school's policy only permits clubs directly related to the curriculum, like history or math groups but not jazz or sailing groups, then it could also prohibit a religious club that is not connected to school curriculum.

Advertising:
If schools allow non-religious school groups to promote their activities through posters or school newspapers, then religious groups, like Bible or prayer clubs, must also be allowed to promote their activities.

Teachers:
According to the Supreme Court in Engel v. Vitale (1962) and  School Dist. of Abington Twp. v. Schempp,(1963), public school teachers represent the state and may not lead classes in prayer or Bible reading.  Teachers also may not compel children to engage in religious activities. Yet, teachers do retain their First Amendment rights in the public schools. While teachers must remain neutral and neither encourage or discourage their students' religious expression, teachers may pray or study the Bible by themselves or with other teachers.

Student Speeches:
There has been a lot of controversy over how to handle student speeches that contain religious themes. The guidelines offer a position that might surprise a few people.  They say:

"Student speakers at student assemblies and extracurricular activities such as sporting events may not be selected on a basis that either favors or disfavors religious speech. Where student speakers are selected on the basis of genuinely neutral, evenhanded criteria and retain primary control over the content of their expression, that expression is not attributable to the school and therefore may not be restricted because of its religious (or anti-religious) content."

In Lee v. Weisman (1992), the Supreme Court prohibited schools from specifically choosing somebody to pray at assemblies, and schools cannot pick students to speak because of religious or anti-religious motivation. However, as the Supreme Court explained in Board of Educ. v. Mergens (1990), "The proposition that schools do not endorse everything they fail to censor is not complicated." That applies even to public settings with public audiences. If it dares, a school can offer a neutral disclaimer saying that the content of student speeches is solely their own and not the school's, freeing students to speak about religious or non-religious or anti-religious themes as they choose.

Kevin Hasson, president of the Washington-based Becket Fund for Religious Liberty, commented, "What the guideline says is that if [prayer] is truly student-initiated -- if it's not rigged by the school district somehow -- then the First Amendment protects it."

And if a school chooses strict pre-approval of all graduation speeches?  Families and students may pray and talk about God freely at baccalaureate services.

Schools and teachers, parents and students should discuss these guidelines and become familiar with the religious freedoms students have in the public schools. Americans need to know they do not "shed their constitutional rights to freedom of speech or expression at the schoolhouse gate."

And so.. here we are.  Now armed with the knowledge that she has the right infact to use this book if she chooses. 

Now the question becomes do I drop this now.. or let her assign Mac a book, see what it is and go from there.  Either way...odds are good..I am headed into spiritual warfare. 

Armed with the TRUTH,

Cyndi