The days of school-mandated prayer are over — at least for now — but as we have seen recently in East Brunswick and Kearny, there are still cases of school officials impressing their religious views upon their students.
We applaud Matthew LaClair for standing up to his teacher and the Kearny School District last year when he was faced with a blatant violation of the separation of church and state (see story, page 10). Although LaClair is not Jewish, he stood up for an issue of great importance to the Jewish community.
The days of school-mandated prayer are over — at least for now — but as we have seen recently in East Brunswick and Kearny, there are still cases of school officials impressing their religious views upon their students.
We applaud Matthew LaClair for standing up to his teacher and the Kearny School District last year when he was faced with a blatant violation of the separation of church and state (see story, page 10). Although LaClair is not Jewish, he stood up for an issue of great importance to the Jewish community.
Various religious groups, Jews in particular, have thrived in this country because of the separation of church and state. The state may not establish a religion or support one in detriment to others. While some may argue that America protects freedom of religion and not freedom from religion, this is one instance where the two principles work in tandem.
By definition a public school is a state entity. This does not mean that religion is prohibited in public schools, but officials cannot promote one religion above another. This has translated for some schools and teachers into an all-or-nothing policy. Others — such as the East Brunswick High football coach and LaClair’s 11th-grade social studies teacher — have yet to learn the lesson.
Teachers are state employees who are bound by the separation of religion and state. Of course teachers have their own religious views. But once they step through the school doors, their personal views must be checked. Just as journalists strive to keep our opinions out of news reporting, so too teachers should not force their opinions upon their students.
While the circumstances of the Kearny and East Brunswick cases are regrettable, we are pleased that they have received widespread attention. According to Etzion Neuer, director of the Anti-Defamation League’s New Jersey office, many in New Jersey consider such church-state issues to be more common in the Bible Belt than in metropolitan New York. But religious freedom is an issue that affects every American. Each one of us must be aware of our exact rights and we must also be willing to speak up when we see those freedoms in danger. To be ignorant about our freedom is the fastest way to lose it.