Public Schools and Religious
Communities: A First Amendment Guide
posted 7.8.99
The extraordinary
challenges confronting public education have led growing numbers of school
districts to seek help and support from many community institutions--including
religious organizations. But these efforts have often been clouded
by conflict and controversy because of confusion about the constitutional
ground rules for the relationship between "school and church."
The publication
of these guidelines is a bold attempt to end the confusion by offering
clear advice on how public schools and religious communities may cooperate
with one another without violating the First Amendment. For the first
time, leading educational organizations have joined with major religious
groups to endorse guiding principles for cooperative relationships in the
following key areas:
--Crisis counseling
--Mentoring
programs
--Safe shelters
for students
--Use by public
schools of facilities owned by religious institutions
--Released-time
religious education
These consensus
guidelines are based on constitutional principles as interpreted by the
U.S. Supreme Court. They demonstrate that cooperation is possible
without violating the neutrality toward religion required of public schools
by the First Amendment.
The guidelines
have been endorsed by many of the nation's leading education groups:
-
American Association
of School Administrators
-
Association for
Supervision and Curriculum Development
-
National Association
of Elementary School Principals
-
National Association
of Secondary School Principals
-
National PTA
-
and the National
School Boards Association
They have also
been endorsed by many major religious communities:
-
United States
Catholic Conference
-
National Council
of Churches of Christ in the U.S.A.
-
American Jewish
Congress
-
Christian Legal
Society
-
Council on Islamic
Education
-
National Association
of Evangelicals
-
and the Baptist
Joint Committee of Public Affairs
The First Amendment
Center joins with the two organizations most responsible for drafting the
guidelines--the American Jewish Congress and the Christian Legal Society--in
publishing and disseminating the document to school districts throughout
the United States. The principles and guidelines outlined in "Public
Schools and Religious Communities" will enable public schools and religious
communities to work together for the common good in public education.
For more information
about The Freedom Forum and its
programs, contact Susan Bennett, 703-284-3765.