Letter: Vote on prayer is wrong, costly

Tuesday, March 4, 2003 | 8:35 a.m.

In 1992 the U.S. Supreme Court, in the case of Lee versus Weissman, declared that prayer at a high school graduation is unconstitutional. In a later case, Santa Fe Independent School District, the Supreme Court said that such prayer is unconstitutional even if led by a student.

Last week the Clark County School Board irresponsibly voted to continue to violate the law by allowing student-led prayer at high school graduations.

By its vote, the School Board has decided to pursue a policy that is illegal and will cost the district millions of dollars as it loses federal funding and faces a certain loss in an expensive court battle. But even worse, the school board's action is morally reprehensible because it forces public schoolchildren to face school-condoned prayer that may be in conflict with their beliefs.

While some polls show the non-religious ranking as high as 40 million, even the most conservative Gallop Poll estimate of those who do not profess a belief in God amounted to 14 million people.

Clearly those so-called "non-believers," even by a conservative estimate, are a substantial minority.

Our country has a rich and honorable history of protecting the rights and interests of minorities. We all can think of notable exceptions to that rule, but I ask, why create another?

Our School Board should reconsider its vote and provide an example of legality and morality to the children it is supposed to represent.

MEL LIPMAN