News Updates

A new Mississippi law mandating that public schools allow "voluntary'' student prayer at school events has been challenged in a federal lawsuit backed by the Mississippi Civil Liberties Union and People for the American Way.

The law, which became effective July 1, requires schools to allow "nonsectarian, nonproselytizing'' student prayer at assemblies, sports events, and graduations, regardless of whether the events are compulsory. The law passed after a statewide debate over a Jackson high school principal who was disciplined for allowing students to read prayers over the intercom last fall. (See Education Week, Feb. 23, 1994.)

Meanwhile, a drive to put a ballot initiative about school prayer before District of Columbia voters has fallen short. The initiative was a subject of intense debate among many church groups and civil-liberties organizations in the nation's capital. (See Education...