Does the First Amendment ban any mention of Jesus in elementary public schools?
Incidents suggest some teachers and administrators still think the answer is
“yes.”
Does the First Amendment ban any mention of Jesus in elementary public schools?
Incidents suggest some teachers and administrators still think the answer is
“yes.”
Last fall, a school superintendent in Alabama turned down a request by a community
member to start an after-school club for students at the local elementary school
– because the club would address issues from a Christian perspective.
Meanwhile, a mother in Texas said her third-grade child was told she could
not do her report on Jesus, even though the assignment was for students to write
about a historical hero or heroine of their choosing.
In New York, a mother said her fourth-grader was told by a teacher not to talk
about Jesus in school. The girl had told a boy who was swearing that he needed
to have Jesus in his heart or he would go to “you-know-where.” The
teacher called that harassment.
Federal guidelines distributed to public schools last year were supposed to
provide common-ground answers to such issues, said Charles Haynes of the First
Amerndment Center in Arlington, Va. But many officials either ignore the guidelines
or are unsure how to apply them, he said.
This especially is true in elementary schools, where officials are careful
not to promote or denigrate religion for young children, Haynes said. However,
care also should be taken to ensure “neutrality” does not turn into
“hostility,” he said.
For instance, in the Alabama case, if other community groups use the schools
facilities during non-school hours, then the district cannot exclude a club
just because it has a religious viewpoint, Haynes said. Officials there agreed
– and allowed the club.
Meanwhile, in the other two incidents, if the school districts want to do the
right thing, they will reverse the poor decisions made by the teachers, Haynes
added.
For instance, if a child can pick any important figure from history, then selecting
Jesus – or any other major religious figure – clearly fulfills the
assignment, he noted. To permit students to choose from historical figures except
religious leaders would violate the First Amendment, he said.
In the New York case, the need to preserve harmony in a classroom does not
mean teachers should censor the religious speech of students, Haynes noted.
If the fourth-grade student was not disrupting class or coercing anyone, then
she should have been permitted to state her views, he said. “Harassment”
is a pattern of activity that persists despite objections. Simply stating a
religious conviction could be viewed as harassment, Haynes noted.
Instead, teachers should help children learn to be civil and to share views
in ways that do not cause anger or hurt, Haynes said.
And they also should make it clear that persons have the right to share their
views with one another, Haynes said.
In other words, the line drawn in a public school setting should be to prevent
coercion, harassment or disruption – not to prevent speech, he emphasized.
(BP)