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Blue Springs, MO —
Although legal challenges are expected in the state’s “right to pray” amendment that was approved last week, school districts are still waiting to find out what it means to them.
The Blue Springs Board of Education discussed the constitutional amendment Monday, which was overwhelmingly approved by Missouri voters Aug. 7.
According to the Constitutional Amendment 2, which was approved with 82 percent of the vote, students have the right to pray in schools and also requires public schools to display a copy of the Bill of Rights. The state of Missouri is not allowed to infringe on public expressions of religion or religious beliefs and students have the right to “opt out” of assignments or classroom activities that infringe on their religious beliefs. There were 780,035 votes in favor of the amendment compared to 162,492 votes against it.
The amendment was backed by all four Catholic bishops in the state as well as the Missouri Baptist Convention. However, many who oppose the legislation feel that the amendment is redundant because religious freedom is already protected by the U.S. Constitution.
Superintendent Paul Kinder said the district’s lawyer refers to the amendment as “the lawyer employment bill,” referring to the number of lawsuits that will be filed in the coming weeks and months.
“We have always had student-led prayer in our schools. It has happened for years around the flag pole or in classrooms,” he said. “Nobody was ever going to vote against this bill because it is something near and dear to a lot of people’s hearts.”
Kinder said his main concern lies in a student’s ability to opt out of assignments or class activities. He said he is waiting for some guidance from the state as to how to handle the provision.
“Even if a student opts out of an assignment, they are still responsible for that information,” he said. “They will still be tested on it on state and core assessments or on things like the ACT. They still have to know it.”
Although legal challenges are expected in the state’s “right to pray” amendment that was approved last week, school districts are still waiting to find out what it means to them.
The Blue Springs Board of Education discussed the constitutional amendment Monday, which was overwhelmingly approved by Missouri voters Aug. 7.
According to the Constitutional Amendment 2, which was approved with 82 percent of the vote, students have the right to pray in schools and also requires public schools to display a copy of the Bill of Rights. The state of Missouri is not allowed to infringe on public expressions of religion or religious beliefs and students have the right to “opt out” of assignments or classroom activities that infringe on their religious beliefs. There were 780,035 votes in favor of the amendment compared to 162,492 votes against it.
The amendment was backed by all four Catholic bishops in the state as well as the Missouri Baptist Convention. However, many who oppose the legislation feel that the amendment is redundant because religious freedom is already protected by the U.S. Constitution.
Superintendent Paul Kinder said the district’s lawyer refers to the amendment as “the lawyer employment bill,” referring to the number of lawsuits that will be filed in the coming weeks and months.
“We have always had student-led prayer in our schools. It has happened for years around the flag pole or in classrooms,” he said. “Nobody was ever going to vote against this bill because it is something near and dear to a lot of people’s hearts.”
Kinder said his main concern lies in a student’s ability to opt out of assignments or class activities. He said he is waiting for some guidance from the state as to how to handle the provision.
“Even if a student opts out of an assignment, they are still responsible for that information,” he said. “They will still be tested on it on state and core assessments or on things like the ACT. They still have to know it.”
