• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
MENUMENU
MENUMENU
  • Home
  • About
    • Contact Us
    • FlaglerLive Board of Directors
    • Comment Policy
    • Mission Statement
    • Our Values
  • Live Calendar
  • Submit Obituary
  • Submit an Event
  • Support FlaglerLive
  • Advertise on FlaglerLive (386) 503-3808
  • Search Results

FlaglerLive

No Bull, no Fluff, No Smudges

MENUMENU
  • Flagler
    • Flagler County Commission
    • Beverly Beach
    • Economic Development Council
    • Flagler History
    • Mondex/Daytona North
    • The Hammock
    • Tourist Development Council
  • Palm Coast
    • Palm Coast City Council
    • Palm Coast Crime
  • Bunnell
    • Bunnell City Commission
    • Bunnell Crime
  • Flagler Beach
    • Flagler Beach City Commission
    • Flagler Beach Crime
  • Cops/Courts
    • Circuit & County Court
    • Florida Supreme Court
    • Federal Courts
    • Flagler 911
    • Fire House
    • Flagler County Sheriff
    • Flagler Jail Bookings
    • Traffic Accidents
  • Rights & Liberties
    • Fourth Amendment
    • First Amendment
    • Privacy
    • Second Amendment
    • Seventh Amendment
    • Sixth Amendment
    • Sunshine Law
    • Third Amendment
    • Religion & Beliefs
    • Human Rights
    • Immigration
    • Labor Rights
    • 14th Amendment
    • Civil Rights
  • Schools
    • Adult Education
    • Belle Terre Elementary
    • Buddy Taylor Middle
    • Bunnell Elementary
    • Charter Schools
    • Daytona State College
    • Flagler County School Board
    • Flagler Palm Coast High School
    • Higher Education
    • Imagine School
    • Indian Trails Middle
    • Matanzas High School
    • Old Kings Elementary
    • Rymfire Elementary
    • Stetson University
    • Wadsworth Elementary
    • University of Florida/Florida State
  • Economy
    • Jobs & Unemployment
    • Business & Economy
    • Development & Sprawl
    • Leisure & Tourism
    • Local Business
    • Local Media
    • Real Estate & Development
    • Taxes
  • Commentary
    • The Conversation
    • Pierre Tristam
    • Diane Roberts
    • Guest Columns
    • Byblos
    • Editor's Blog
  • Culture
    • African American Cultural Society
    • Arts in Palm Coast & Flagler
    • Books
    • City Repertory Theatre
    • Flagler Auditorium
    • Flagler Playhouse
    • Flagler Youth Orchestra
    • Jacksonville Symphony Orchestra
    • Palm Coast Arts Foundation
    • Special Events
  • Elections 2022
    • Amendments and Referendums
    • Presidential Election
    • Campaign Finance
    • City Elections
    • Congressional
    • Constitutionals
    • Courts
    • Governor
    • Polls
    • Voting Rights
  • Florida
    • Federal Politics
    • Florida History
    • Florida Legislature
    • Florida Legislature
    • Ron DeSantis
  • Health & Society
    • Flagler County Health Department
    • Ask the Doctor Column
    • Health Care
    • Health Care Business
    • Covid-19
    • Children and Families
    • Medicaid and Medicare
    • Mental Health
    • Poverty
    • Violence
  • All Else
    • Daily Briefing
    • Americana
    • Obituaries
    • News Briefs
    • Weather and Climate
    • Wildlife

Bill Vastly Diminishing Separation of Church and School Passes Florida Senate, 23-13

March 24, 2017 | FlaglerLive | 14 Comments

separation of church and school
Church or school? (© FlaglerLive)

A bill aimed at protecting displays of religious faith in public schools passed the Senate on nearly party-line vote Thursday, while a more-limited version moved toward the House floor.


The Senate voted 23-13 to approve its bill (SB 436, see below), after a sometimes-emotional debate. Sen. Daphne Campbell, D-Miami, joined Republicans in voting for the legislation.

Supporters of the legislation said it would largely reaffirm court rulings on First Amendment rights while signaling to school districts what should and shouldn’t be allowed. They also rejected suggestions that the bill was intended to favor some religious convictions at the expense of others.

“This isn’t protecting a faith,” said Sen. Dennis Baxley, an Ocala Republican who sponsored the bill. “It’s protecting all people’s freedom to express their hearts.”

The proposal would extend protection to religious activities and organizations and seek to prevent discrimination against students or school employees based on their faith. It would also require school districts to approve a “limited public forum” policy for student speakers.

But in so doing, the bill vastly expands permissible religious expression in public schools during school hours. Provisions of the bill protecting religious expression in dress, coursework, art work and persona expression re-state protections already in state and federal law, and in both federal and state constitutions. But the bill goes much further into untested territory in Florida. For example, the proposal would allow students to engage in organized prayer groups during the school day and with the participation–though not the sponsorship–of school personnel. Such religious activities may be freely advertised and announced across the school, and school districts are to develop policies enabling student speakers to essentially proselytize during school activities, including sports events and graduations, where students and people of different faiths, or no faith, usually gather and are a captive audience.

The U.S. Supreme Court has maintained that any religious expression in the context of widely–even if voluntary–school-sponsored events would be coercive to those not necessarily inclined to follow the preached beliefs, and would therefore be illegal.

“The school district’s supervision and control of a high school graduation ceremony places subtle and indirect public and peer pressure on attending students to stand as a group or maintain respectful silence during the invocation and benediction,” Justice Anthony Kennedy wrote in a 1993 decision. “A reasonable dissenter of high school age could believe that standing or remaining silent signified her own participation in, or approval of, the group exercise, rather than her respect for it. And the State may not place the student dissenter in the dilemma of participating or protesting. Since adolescents are often susceptible to peer pressure, especially in matters of social convention, the State may no more use social pressure to enforce orthodoxy than it may use direct means. The embarrassment and intrusion of the religious exercise cannot be refuted by arguing that the prayers are of a de minimis character, since that is an affront to the rabbi and those for whom the prayers have meaning, and since any intrusion was both real and a violation of the objectors’ right.”

Supporters of the Florida legislation claim students have, for example, been told they can’t use a religious figure in a paper about role models or can’t bring Bibles to school.

“It’s time to stop persecuting students for their religious beliefs when grading assignments, or limiting the reading texts just because they may contain religious material,” said Shawn Frost, president of the conservative Florida Coalition of School Board Members, at a House Education Committee meeting where that chamber’s bill was approved Thursday.

Opponents, though, portrayed the bills as an unnecessary measure that could lead to some children being ostracized if they don’t join student-led religious displays.

“I believe that there is already time for prayer and expression, and I don’t believe that isolated incidents should then be an impetus for a law that really will create, I believe, more misunderstanding than understanding,” said Sen. Audrey Gibson, D-Jacksonville.

Added Sen. Gary Farmer, D-Fort Lauderdale: “The right to religious belief is not being taken away if we don’t pass this bill.”

But while the Senate debate over the legislation has been polarizing, the version of the bill in the normally more partisan House has moved through quickly and largely unopposed.

The House Education Committee vote Thursday was unanimous — though three Democrats weren’t there to vote — following similar approval at a subcommittee. The House measure (HB 303) is also sponsored by a pair of Democrats: Kimberly Daniels of Jacksonville and Patricia Williams of Lauderdale Lakes.

That version, though, does not include the requirement for school districts to approve a “limited public forum” policy for student speakers. Such policies would give student speakers more leeway in their comments at school events.

Baxley, who said he used the original House language for his bill, suggested after the Senate vote Thursday that the difference could make reaching an agreement problematic if the House insisted.

“In the process, they kind of watered theirs down a little bit, and we really like the constraints that were in the bill to make it function,” Baxley said. “Because otherwise, I don’t know there’s anything being done.”

–FlaglerLive and the News Service of Florida

Florida Religious Expression Bill (SB 436, 2017)

Click to access religious-expression-bill.pdf

Print Friendly, PDF & Email
You and your neighbors collectively read our articles about 25,000 times each day (that's not a typo) with up to 65,000 daily reads during emergencies like hurricanes. Flagler County residents rely on FlaglerLive for essential, bold and analytical journalism that cannot be found anywhere else. But we depend on your support. Please join our December fund drive! If you donate the cost of a scoop of ice cream, you will be helping us continue to provide comprehensive local news and honest, serious journalism for our community. If you can donate more or become a monthly donor, even better. Donations are tax deductible since FlaglerLive is a 501(c)(3) non-profit news organization. Donate by clicking anywhere in this box. Think of it as buying a scoop, in every sense of the term!  
All donors' identities are kept confidential and anonymous.
   

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Ken Dodge says

    March 24, 2017 at 12:23 pm

    The proverbial camel’s nose under the tent. Parents should know that this paves the way for the promotion of Islam—along with the marginalization, even denigration, of Christianity — and it is happening in public schools across the country.

    Reply
  2. Dave says

    March 24, 2017 at 1:18 pm

    This is sickening, this is not american

    Reply
  3. cls says

    March 24, 2017 at 1:30 pm

    Ok – as long as other religions like Hindu, Buddhism, Islam, Catholism, Protestism, Sikhism, and ALL religions are allowed in schools and on school properties. See what a pandora’s box you just opened up? Sheesh, republicans…

    Reply
  4. Mark says

    March 24, 2017 at 3:15 pm

    “no law respecting the free exercise thereof” geeeeeez, what could we be thinking?

    Reply
  5. beachcomberT says

    March 24, 2017 at 3:36 pm

    There’s got to be a reasonable middle ground somewhere. If some students want to have prayer circles before or after their classes, I don’t see any great harm. And it seems like social studies classes for upper grades should give kids some idea about the core beliefs of the major world religions. But inevitably one religious group or another is going to object if a minority religion gets discussed. So there will be arguments if someone asks for “equal time” for Islam, Judaism, Eastern Orthodox, Jehovah Witnesses, LDS, Hinduism, paganism, agnosticism and atheism. Ideally, each district should have an interfaith committee of clergy and lay people develop some guidelines on how religion can be practiced and/or discussed in a school setting.

    Reply
  6. Common Sense says

    March 24, 2017 at 3:55 pm

    Schools are not the place for religion. We keep turning out students that can barely read and write. Why bring this into the mix? They can practice their religion at home or in their designated place of worship.
    What is happening to the separation of church and state?

    Reply
  7. Openyourmind says

    March 24, 2017 at 11:25 pm

    @ Ken Dodge, whats the issue with Islam? I’m against any religion of any kind being promoted in schools, including my own, which is Islam. Why must you single out and denigrate Islam? Because it doesn’t teach the same exact beliefs that your faith teaches? America wasnt founded on the basis of picking and choosing what religions are allowed and which aren’t. Please do us all a favor and step off of your high horse and open up your heart and mind. Your faith and opinions are not the only ones that matter. God bless.

    Reply
  8. Sherry says

    March 25, 2017 at 11:56 am

    Separation of Church and State!!!!!!

    Reply
  9. The Ghost of America says

    March 25, 2017 at 12:33 pm

    Openyourmind, it’s because most muslims are brown people.

    Reply
  10. joseph pultizer says

    March 25, 2017 at 2:46 pm

    A salaam alaikum brothers and sisters meet me under the flag pole>

    Reply
  11. Geezer says

    March 25, 2017 at 3:49 pm

    I’m a proud Festividian. I want an aluminum pole erected at all schools.
    Feats of strength, airing of grievances…

    Reply
  12. Sheila Zinkerman says

    March 26, 2017 at 3:35 am

    Since 1947 Americans United for the Separation of Church and State (AU) has brought legal action against parties who violate the establishment clause of the First Amendment. http://www.au.org. SB 436 is being closely monitored by AU Chapters throughout Florida. Alleged violations within Flagler County and other Florida public schools can be reported for investigation through the AU website. They have staff attorneys who will investigate the alleged violation and bring legal action as appropriate.

    Reply
  13. Ken Dodge says

    March 26, 2017 at 10:42 am

    Thank you, Openyourmind. My issue with Islam is that it is a political ideology shrouded in a religion.

    Reply
  14. Dave says

    March 26, 2017 at 2:13 pm

    People kill for their religious belief, it’s in the history books, the Crusades and so on, let’s keep our kids out of those situations when it’s time for schooling.

    Reply
  • politis matovina attorneys for justice personal injury law auto truck accidents
  • grand living realty

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Primary Sidebar

Advertisers

  • grand living realty
  • politis matovina attorneys for justice personal injury law auto truck accidents

Recent Comments

  • Concerned Citizen on Flagler Sheriff’s Sgt. Breckwoldt, In Charge of Narcotics Unit, at Center of Abuse of Power Allegation
  • Dennis C Rathsam on Flagler’s Property Values Still Rose Robustly, Continuing Potential Windfall For Local Governments
  • The dude on I’m Almost 67, I Worked 22 Years With Walmart, Yet Can’t Afford to Retire
  • Travis on Florida Attorney General Ashley Moody Wants Supreme Court to Kill Recreational Pot Initiative
  • Jimbo99 on 251-Unit Wilton Apartment Project Breaks Ground in Town Center, Employing 300 During Construction
  • sean on 251-Unit Wilton Apartment Project Breaks Ground in Town Center, Employing 300 During Construction
  • YankeeExPat on Voters Approved an Amendment For Racial Equity in Districts. DeSantis Wants It Ignored.
  • One term and done on As Investigation of Principal Paul Peacock Nears Conclusion, His Absence from Reappointment List Draws Speculation
  • Dennis C Rathsam on Palm Coast’s Belk Converted Into One of 16 Outlet Stores as Company Struggles
  • Joshua Rosenbloom on Ron DeSantis Is in a War With Disney He Cannot Win
  • Jay Tomm on Flagler’s Property Values Still Rose Robustly, Continuing Potential Windfall For Local Governments
  • pete on Flagler Replaces Confusing Letter-Based Evacuation Zones With Neighborhood Names as Hurricane Season Begins
  • Day One. on Flagler Sheriff’s Sgt. Breckwoldt, In Charge of Narcotics Unit, at Center of Abuse of Power Allegation
  • Day One. on Flagler Sheriff’s Sgt. Breckwoldt, In Charge of Narcotics Unit, at Center of Abuse of Power Allegation
  • anon on Upside of Unrequited Survives Book Ban at FPC, But 57% of Challenged Titles Were Removed From Flagler Schools This Year
  • Mark Huston on 240-Unit Apartment Complex Planned Next to BJ’s Wholesale Club on State Road 100 in Palm Coast

Log in