The Enid News and Eagle, Enid, OK

Opinion

Discussion

March 17, 2008

State shouldn’t have to spell out religious freedoms

One legislator calls a measure protecting public school students’ religious expressions in school as “a solution looking for a problem.”

Unfortunately, it’s solution that has been forced because of years of overzealous interpretation of separation of church and state in our public schools.

The Legislature approved the bill that compiles the legal guidelines from a recent U.S. Supreme Court decision on a student’s right to express his or her religious views at school.

The measure is not supposed to favor one religion over another and does not violate the legal prohibition against public school officials sanctioning a religious point of view. However, it does say school districts must treat a student’s voluntary expression of a religious viewpoint the same way it treats viewpoints on other subjects. It also says the school may not discriminate against a student based on a religious point of view.

It’s a shame it is taking an extra law for a student to be able to express his of her first amendments rights, but that is what it has come to. There have been too many instances when school districts have gone over the top in trying to stifle religious expression. From banning certain clothes or religious headwear to punishing children for drawing religious characters or expressing religious views in class discussions, many school districts have over-exercised their authority in the matter.

We agree it’s too bad this law was drafted at all. However, many people are upset their expression of religious freedoms has been stopped at the school-house door.

We also agree this new law may open up a floodgate of problems schools, quite frankly, aren’t equipped to deal with and shouldn’t have to deal with.

Public schools should not be substitutes for churches. Students, parents and school administrators need to walk this line carefully should this legislation actually become law.

Or better yet, if it doesn’t become law, perhaps school boards and administrators could use some common sense and respect students’ religious expression to avoid more unnecessary hassles in the future.

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