Written by Don Byrd
Senate Bill 370 passed the North Carolina House Education Committee yesterday. The bill seeks to “clarify student rights to engage in prayer and religious activity in school.” It reiterates student religious activity already fully protected by the First Amendment, like praying silently with other students, expressing religious viewpoints, possessing religious literature and organizing religious gatherings to the same extent that students are allowed to organize other student gatherings.
The bill also helpfully points out that student religious activity may still be prohibited if it would infringe on school discipline or the educational process.
And then there is this:
School employees supervising extracurricular activities, including coaches, may be present while a student or group of students exercises their voluntary right to pray . . . and, if present, shall not be disrespectful of the student exercise of such rights and may adopt a respectful posture.
Writing for the Greensboro News and Record, Amanda Lehmert notes that an effort to remove that provision was unsuccessful. The bill now moves on to the full House.
