Lawsuits against SYATP.

[Steven Jamar]

On Sep 26, 2006, at 11:41 AM, Kimberlee Wood Colby wrote:


> The DOE guidelines certainly have helped the SYATP situation, but  
> there are a lot of school administrators who are: 1) still afraid  
> of the ACLU, etc., filing a lawsuit if they allow any religious  
> activity; 2) haven't kept up on the developments in the law since  
> they were in education college in the '70s (and who can blame  
> them); or 3) are simply hostile to religion.  All 3 factors  
> contribute to the annual problems around SYATP.  But a problem  
> nevertheless exists.

There are a lot of administrators and teachers out there who are  
hostile to separation as well and who are hostile to Jews, Muslims,  
Christions other than their particular sect, etc.  And those who are  
hostile to athiests and agnostics.  And there are those who  
proselytize.  And there are some, I suppose, who are simply hostile  
to religion and act on it.

Nonetheless, in my personal experience most teachers and  
administrators try to get it right.  Those who stepped over the line  
in my kids' education were nearly always on the advocating religion  
side.  There was one case which was quickly cleared up with a  
misguided teacher saying a 3rd grader could not do a book report on a  
chapter of the Bible.  Echoes (or pre-echoes?) of a case discussed   
on this list a few years back.

Steve

-- 
Prof. Steven D. Jamar                     vox:  202-806-8017
Howard University School of Law           fax:  202-806-8567
2900 Van Ness Street NW         mailto:stevenjamar at gmail.com
Washington, DC  20008	                http://iipsj.com/SDJ/

"Nothing that is worth anything can be achieved in a lifetime;  
therefore we must be saved by hope."

Reinhold Neibuhr


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