Letters October 11, 1999 Issue

YOUR LETTERS

"There is a cheerfulness about it before I ever start reading it."

with contributions from Theodore S. Arrington, Belle F. Foote

The September 6 Sentinel quotes The Washington Times about a poll on a constitutional amendment that would "allow prayer in schools." This wording gives the impression that the Constitution disallows prayer in public schools, and this is simply not true. The Supreme Court has quite rightly ruled that the Constitution forbids people in government—such as teachers, principals, school boards, or state legislators—from telling public school children when they can pray or how they can pray.

Most of the articles and testimonies in that same Sentinel are about students and faculty who were actively praying while in public schools, thus proving the inaccuracy of the wording in the poll.

The only problem arises when school officials misunderstand the law, as evidently happened in the events recorded in your sidebar item on Zachary Hood ("Jacob and Esau—and Zachary") printed directly opposite the item from the Times.

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