Religious Causes Arrive at School, Cause Conflict Battle's Been Waged off and on since '63

For months, the nation's public schools have been like battlefields.

But the combatants in question are not vicious teens gunning to turn the pursuit of an education into a blood sport.

This time, the conflict, which has inflamed public school systems from Kansas to Kentucky to Altoona, Pa., is between religious conservatives who want education to be more reflective of their values and those who counter that public schools are no place for teachings based on specific religious doctrine.

It is a battle that has been waged sporadically since 1963, when the Supreme Court outlawed prayer in the schools, a conflict that has legal implications rooted in the Constitution's separation of church and state and that again raises questions about what role religion should play in the public life of a pluralistic society.

At the heart of each of these debates is the …

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Publication information: Article title: Religious Causes Arrive at School, Cause Conflict Battle's Been Waged off and on since '63. Contributors: Not available. Newspaper title: The Florida Times Union. Publication date: September 6, 1999. Page number: Not available. © 2007 The Florida Times-Union. COPYRIGHT 1999 Gale Group.

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