For ‘Inspirational Message’ Bill, Few Immediate Effects

June 30, 2012

A controversial law that would allow student prayer at mandatory school events could have limited impact even after it goes into effect Sunday, both supporters and opponents of the “inspirational message” bill say.

The measure, signed into law by Gov. Rick Scott in March, paves the way for local school districts to approve policies allowing students to decide whether to have another student deliver an inspirational message at school events. But districts aren’t likely to approve any of the proposals because of the threat of costly litigation.

“On our advice, they are going nowhere with it,” said Wayne Blanton, executive director of the Florida School Boards Association.

Blanton said only one school district in the state – Clay County – has even considered implementing one of the policies, and decided not to. He said the measure was “a political bill” aimed more at the November elections than the actual policy.

Even one of the bill’s sponsors, Rep. Charles Van Zant, R-Keystone Heights, said he didn’t expect school boards to leap into action right away. But Van Zant said he has heard from districts that are interested in the idea and might look into it early next year — after the November vote.

“I don’t think they’re going to do much of anything simply because there’s so much electioneering going on,” Van Zant said.

Looming over the entire bill is the threat of legal action against any district that tries to implement it. When Scott signed the bill, the ACLU of Florida, the Anti-Defamation League and Americans United for the Separation of Church and State each separately issued warnings to local school districts that going ahead with a policy could subject them to legal challenges.

The Santa Rosa County School District recently spent hundreds of thousands of dollars in a costly series of lawsuits over the role of religion in public schools, sparked in part by prayers at school events.

Van Zant said districts shouldn’t be deterred.

“I told them the ACLU is going to threaten to sue them,” he said. “Don’t worry about it.”

But in a statement issued Friday, ACLU of Florida Executive Director Howard Simon said he didn’t expect many districts to follow Van Zant’s advice.

“Fortunately, Florida educators are likely to be smarter than legislators,” Simon said. “I expect few if any school districts to be enticed by the Legislature’s invitation to adopt an unconstitutional policy and end up in inevitable litigation — and spend scarce tax dollars on lawyers in the courtroom rather than children in the classroom.”

By The News Service of Florida

Comments

6 Responses to “For ‘Inspirational Message’ Bill, Few Immediate Effects”

  1. 429SCJ on July 1st, 2012 4:11 pm

    Titus 1: 13-14 This testamony is true. For this reason reprove them severly so that they may be sound in the faith. 14: Not paying attention to Jewish myths and commandments of men who turn away from the truth.

  2. BarrineauParkDad on June 30th, 2012 6:19 pm

    Here we go again, the politicians are just kissing the tail ends of those who think everyone else should believe the same mythology as they do.

    If you want your children to be educated and successful in life, encourage and support them in their schooling. America is falling further behind yearly in the study and comprehension of science, technology, engineering and math. That is a fact and it seems that those who should care couldn’t care less. In the case of religious extremism, we are at least a solid second behind the nuts in the Middle East who are killing each other over their differing mythologies.

    If it takes the fear of burning in hell for your children to behave as they should, by all means, take them to church. I’d be careful about letting them read the bible.

    “It is full of interest. It has noble poetry in it; and some clever fables; and some blood-drenched history; and some good morals; and a wealth of obscenity; and upwards of a thousand lies.”
    - Mark Twain – Letters from the Earth

  3. 429SCJ on June 30th, 2012 8:44 am

    Better not to address subjects that you are fearful of.

  4. 429SCJ on June 30th, 2012 8:41 am

    I never knew that when we recited the Lords Prayer and the Pledge of Allegence that we were defaming people.

  5. 429SCJ on June 30th, 2012 7:31 am

    When the economic collaspe washes away the old and returns us to One Nation Under God, we will no longer need legislation to allow us to pray.

    We will no longer need a lot of these organizations as well. Let them scream I Object!

  6. 429SCJ on June 30th, 2012 6:24 am

    When the children of satan said no more prayer, it was taken from the children of Adam. They have their fathers nature just as Christ accused them and will do his evil here on earth.

    They have their twisted babylonian book of law, let’s see how it protects them when the trumpet sounds Christ return.

Written by William Reynolds · Filed Under News