School Board members hear stories of church intrusion

Benjamin Grove

Thursday, March 18, 1999 | 11:22 a.m.

Several rabbis and ACLU officials on Wednesday rapped the Clark County School District for allowing religious groups to peddle their faiths at schools.

"I was very disturbed by some of the things occurring in the schools last week," said Mel Lipman, an attorney and state board member of the American Civil Liberties Union. "This is a clear-cut violation of the Constitution."

Lipman, along with attorney and ACLU member Allen Lichtenstein, Rabbi Richard Schachet of the Valley Outreach Synagogue in Henderson and Rabbi Mel Hecht of Temple Beth Am, spoke at the School Board's policy committee meeting. The policy committee, made up of four board members, discusses new district policies to be voted on by the full seven-member board.

The speakers were upset because of two recent incidents reported in the Sun:

"I don't feel that's the theater for it," Hecht said.

School officials said a fine line separates what might be considered harassing students and exercising a First Amendment right of free speech on a public sidewalk.

"Our goal is to protect the children," Assistant Superintendent Len Paul told the board. "It's a really sensitive area that's always under a watchful eye."

Paul said the Power Team did not have permission to distribute their fliers.

"From what I understand, the thing ended and surprise, surprise, out came the fliers," Paul said. "We do try to make them (principals) check out each group."

Board members said they might consider policy changes to more narrowly define what peddlers can do immediately outside school grounds.

"I think we can look at what qualifies harassment when people are going to and from the school," board member Larry Mason said.