Education

Truce Sought In School Wars Over Religion

By Mark Walsh — March 29, 1995 4 min read
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Groups that often battle fiercely over the proper place of religion in public education pledged last week to soften the tone of their rhetoric and to demonstrate respect for one another’s views.

The 18 organizations range from the Christian Coalition and the National Association of Evangelicals to the National Education Association and People for the American Way.

U.S. Secretary of Education Richard W. Riley endorsed the groups’ statement of principles on “religious liberty, public education, and democracy” during a news conference here last week at the headquarters of the Freedom Forum, a foundation that helped draw up the statement through its First Amendment Center at Vanderbilt University.

“Public education must be sensitive to, and open to, the concerns of religious-minded parents who sometimes feel that they are less than welcome,” Mr. Riley said. “But at the same time, religious-minded Americans must be willing to build bridges, to respect the freedom of conscience of other Americans, and to not see public education as their enemy.”

‘Culture Wars’

The six principles call for greater respect for religion in public education and a more civil tone in public debate over issues on which the organizations often are divided, such as school prayer, sex education, textbook selection, and allowing student religious groups to meet at public schools. (See related story.)

Charles Haynes, a visiting scholar at the First Amendment Center and one of the primary organizers behind the statement, said the effort started because “public schools are too often the battleground in what are called the ‘culture wars.’”

“Today we offer a divided nation a shared vision of public schools as places where religion and religious diversity are treated with fairness,” he said.

(See education and conservative religious groups and individuals.

For example, Mr. Riley has reached out to include traditionally conservative religious organizations in his family-involvement initiative.

And last year, the leaders of several education and religious groups began meeting quietly in an effort to find common ground on education issues. (See related story, Nov. 23, 1994.)

Some of those groups—such as the American Association of School Administrators, the Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development, the National Association of Evangelicals, and Citizens for Excellence in Education, a Christian organization that has coached member of local school boards in campaigns over the past five year—signed the statement developed by the Freedom Forum.

“We are committed to the idea of finding common ground,” said Forest D. Montgomery, the general counsel of the evangelicals’ association, which comprises some 50,000 churches.

Gene R. Carter, the executive director of the curriculum-development group, said the statement represents “a noble beginning” in reducing tensions between public educator and religious conservatives.

“Teachers cannot teach in an atmosphere of distrust,” he said.

Some Groups Missing

Despite the show of unity, the broadly worded principles do not address the often deep philosophical differences the groups have over such issues as the constitutionality of student-led graduation prayers.

And some organizations that often are involved in disputes with school districts over such issues were not on the list of endorsers of the principles.

These groups include the American Civil Liberties Union, Americans United for Separation of Church and State, the American Jewish Committee, the American Jewish Congress, and such conservative groups as the American Family Association, Focus on the Family, and the Rutherford Institute.

Some representatives of those groups said they found the principles so noncontroversial as to be worth little in reducing real conflicts. “It’s a judgment call, but it didn’t seem to be much of a contribution to say people should be nice to each other,” said Marc Stern of the American Jewish Congress. The A.J.C. is working with some of the same groups on a joint statement about what sorts of religious activities can be constitutionally allowed at public schools. That statement should be released within a few weeks, he said.

Robert Peck, the legislative counsel of the A.C.L.U., said the list of principles was thin on substance and did not address the differences people have on some prominent issues.

More Negotiation

But representatives of the groups that signed on to the principles said the effort could help prevent local disputes over religion and public education from growing into legal battles.

“Litigation represents a failure in our society,” said Ivan B. Gluckman, the general counsel of the National Association of Secondary School Principals.

“If this process works, there should be less litigation,” he said.

Mark Troobnick, a lawyer with the American Center for Law and Justice, a legal organization founded by the religious broadcaster Pat Robertson, said the principles should encourage more negotiation between school districts and the center, which often represents students seeking to pray at public schools.

“Our desire is not to litigate,” he aid. “This opens the door a little bit wider for discourse.”

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A version of this article appeared in the March 29, 1995 edition of Education Week as Truce Sought In School Wars Over Religion

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