Religious protection in school bill signed

by David Safier
The feel good bill of the session, protecting students' right to religious expression in schools, was signed into law by the Accidental Guv.

In theory, the bill does nothing, since as its proponents admit, "it simply codifies protections federal courts already have upheld for students." But it's going to scare the bejeezus out of teachers and administrators, afraid that the wrath of legislators looking for a God issue to run on, abetted by Christian legal organizations, will fall upon them like thunderbolts hurled by Greek gods. So they're going to err on the side of allowing more religious expression than should be tolerated in secular schools.

I hope there are some aggressive Jewish, Muslim, Buddhist, etc., parents and students, who will match every over-the-top example of Christian expression with similar statements from their faiths. If a student announces a meeting of Christian students over the loudspeaker and lapses into prayer, I want a Jewish student to daven a little the next day, followed by a Moslem call to prayer the day after. We need to test if all religious expression in schools is created equal, or some forms are more equal than others.

Or maybe I'm worrying about nothing. I pray I am . . . but I'll spare you the prayer.