Conservative spotlight: Forrest Turpen

These days, it seems that religion and the public schools are not supposed to mix, that God has been banished from our government schools by the U.S. Supreme Court. But even the Clinton Administration's May 1998 Education Department guidelines on religion makes it clear that that is not the case.

"The Establishment Clause of the 1st Amendment does not prohibit purely private religious speech by students,"the guidelines say. "Students therefore have the same right to engage in individual or group prayer and religious discussion during the school day as they do to engage in other comparable activity. For example, students may read their Bibles or other scriptures, say grace before meals, and pray before tests to the same extent they may engage in comparable .nondisruptive activities. . . .

"Students may also participate in before or after school events with religious content, such as `see you at the flag pole' gatherings, on the same terms as they may participate in other noncurriculum activities on school premises. School officials may neither discourage nor encourage participation in such an event."

Christian Educators Association International (CEAI) seeks to educate and encourage Christian teachers in the public schools to practice their faith-and allow students to practice their own faith-to the fullest extent allowed by the law. "In my experience;' said Forrest Turpen, executive director of CEAI> "few superintendents and principals have informed school communities about the legal rights of teachers."

Founded in 1953, CEAI has "a membership of about 7,000 across the nation, with a concentration in California, Tennessee, Alabama, and some of the other Southern states;' said Tureen. CEAI is a professional association that teaches teachers "how to work in a school system and earn the right to express a Christian worldview," said Tureen, and `works with local churches to help them se they need to be involved in local public schools." In fact, CEAI is the only professional association aimed at American public school teachers who are Christian.

Say the federal education guidelines, "Public schools may not provide religious instruction, but they may teach about religion, including the Bible or other scripture: the history of religion, comparative religion, the Bible (or other scripture)-as-literature, and the role of religion in the history of the United States and other countries all are permissible public school subjects. Similarly, it is permissible to consider religious influences on art, music, literature, and social studies." (Emphasis in original.)

"In a Dec. 17, 1999, letter to school principals," Turpen said, "[Education] Secretary Richard Riley said that churches should be involved with public school students. He was acting on an initiative from President Clinton."

In conjunction with the Christian Legal Society, CEAI has produced a booklet called `Teachers & Religion in Public Schools" that walks through, in detail, what is and what is not permissible in schools. "Administrators know it is a sensitive issue," Trp said. "They don't always want to stir the pot by telling teachers what is allowed." On a weekly basis, he said, CEAI hears from teachers who complain of restrictions on Christians' religious freedom in the public schools.

CEAI also seeks to make teachers less dependent on their ultrapowerful unions, the National Education Association and American Federation of Teachers. "Christian Educators Association International provides professional liability for its members who are educators. No longer will CEAI members have to depend solely upon local districts or the NEA/AFT for professional liability insurance," it says.

Turpen pointed to the recent Supreme Court decision seemingly outlawing prayer at public school football games as a example of the wrong impression created by the media and many within the public school system about the allowable role of religion in the schools. "There is a tremendous mythology out there about what you can and can't do;' he said. "Prayer was not eliminated from football games by the decision. A certain way of choosing student leaders at the games was invalidated." When teachers use the Bible in a classroom in order to teach about it, "kids will say; `You can't use the Bible in the public schools,' " he said. `That is not true." And students can meet for a religious purpose in school facilities.

And say the guidelines, "Student religious groups at public secondary schools have the same right of access to school facil= ities as is enjoyed by other comparable student groups. Under the Equal Access Act, a school receiving federal funds that allows one or more student noncurriculum-related clubs to meet on its premises during noninstructional time may not refuse access to student religious groups."

CEAI can be reached at PO. Box 41300, Pasadena, CA 91114 (626-798-1124; fax: 626-798-2346; e-mail: info@ceai.org; website: www.ceai.org).

Copyright Human Events Publishing, Inc. Sep 15, 2000
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