Conducting School Prayer Forums
During the fall legislative period, Congress will likely begin consideration of proposals to amend the freedom of religion and religion establishment clauses of the First Amendment. Congressman Istook verified in his opening statement at the Oklahoma City school prayer field hearing held earlier this month that the proponents of the amendment will formally introduce their proposals in September and that the Republican House leadership will work towards bringing it before the full House before January. The Senate's time line is more difficult to predict, though we should be prepared for them to deal with this issue at roughly the same time as does the House.
Those in favor of altering the First Amendment's religion clauses may choose to do so through legislative statutes, rather than through a constitutional amendment. Which approach they take will depend on the level of support within their ranks for changing the First Amendment. Since the statute requires neither ratification by 3/5s of the state legislatures, nor a supra-majority within Congress, supporters may find this statutory vehicle more appealing than the amendment. Regardless of which form the proposal takes, all indications are that the amendment supporters will go forward with it soon and push hard for a vote on the House and Senate floors.
In light of the severity and imminence of this threat to all of our religious liberties, it is imperative that the faith community convey to Congress its strong opposition to any changes in the religion clauses. Local Interfaith Alliance-sponsored events designed to inform the public on this issue offer a great opportunity to raise consciousness among our communities of faith. These more cognizant and energized constituents should, in turn, express their reservations about these proposed changes to Congress. Therefore, through the process of these forums, we can educate the public and contribute to the defeat of any legislation that will undoubtedly restrict our religious liberties.
In the following pages, we have provided you with a model for planning and conducting a school prayer forum. We hope that you will think seriously about hosting a school prayer forum that closely resembles this model. Keep in mind that you will maximize the impact of your forum on the legislative process if you schedule it before the end of October. Develop Time Line
As you probably are well aware, developing a timeline for planning this event is the first step to creating your forum. There is obviously no time line that applies to all forums, but some guidelines are useful to remember. The time line should be comprehensive, realistic, and allow for changes and modifications as the planning process evolves. Selection Process Panel Composition
To the extent that is possible in your community, you should seek out panelists from some of the groups most involved and familiar with this issue. It is your discretion to determine whether your panel should include proponents of school prayer.
  • Your panel should include a member of the clergy opposed to school prayer. (Again, you should use your judgment in deciding if the panel will also include clergy or lay representation from the advocates of school prayer).
  • Because of the amendment's implications for public education, you should reserve a third slot for a school board member or administrator.
  • Since the amendment presupposes that the First Amendment is inadequate and therefore should be modified, a constitutional scholar should have the fourth spot.
  • The fifth slot should go to a leader in the Parent Teachers Association (PTA) or some similar organization. If no such organization exists or possesses adequate influence in your community, you can substitute an informed parent.
The success of the forum will depend on whether you identify quality and articulate panelists who are familiar with this issue. In addition, precluding board members or officers from serving as either a panelist or the moderator will help ensure the propriety or fairness of the event. Selection Criteria
In order to ensure identification of the most effective panelists, it might be helpful to put together selection criteria for evaluating prospective candidates. Your list should include these criteria and guidelines:
  • knowledge about separation of church & state
  • high comfort level with public speaking
  • articulate
  • civil and cordial communicator
  • demonstrated leadership within religious, legal, or educational communities
  • ensure that the Christian panelists are not monolithic with respect to school prayer. You should have at least one Christian lay or clergy representative opposed to the proposed legislation so as not to reinforce misimpression that Christian community unified in support of it.
  • be prepared for radical religious right groups to try to disrupt or take control of the forum. As the Florida and Virginia Congressional field hearings illustrate, these members' vocal and demonstrative presence could potentially transform your forum into a shouting match or rally for their side. Although you cannot prohibit these strident people from attending your forum, a substantial crowd of amendment opponents, calm panelists, and a strong moderator can mitigate this situation and preserve the educational quality of the forum.
In assessing whether candidates meet your criteria, you should take advantage of your congregants' and others' extensive knowledge of individuals from these five groups. They can help you identify quality candidates and inform your evaluation of them without your having to interview candidates. Selection of Moderator
The final component of this selection process is identifying a capable and neutral moderator. Again, as with panel selection, you should compile a list of likely candidates and create selection criteria with which to evaluate them. The most important of these criteria are perceived neutrality, knowledge of the issue, and possession of strong communication skills. The religion editor from a large daily newspaper or a similar representative from a local TV network affiliate are two examples of possible moderators. Agenda & Format of Forum
Once you have identified the groups represented on the panel, it is important to design the format for your session. We suggest that you divide it into three sections, which, for explanatory purposes, we will refer to as the introductory, structured question and answer, and audience-initiated question sections. Introductory Session (30 Minutes)
As the name implies, the introductory segment will simply permit each of the five panelists to introduce him or herself and his or her view on the issue. In order to preserve more time for the other segments, you should grant each of them five minutes for this segment. Since their statements will be largely unstructured, if it is appropriate, they can at the outset mention briefly what belief system (or faith) informs their position. Previously Determined Q & A (1 Hour)
As we envision this segment, the moderator would pose a separate set of questions to each panelist. Unlike more general questions, these questions would concentrate on each panelist's particular perspective on and experience with the separation of church and state issue. In the interest of maintaining fairness and keeping this section from exceeding its one hour time limit, we suggest that you ask each participant approximately three questions to which each panelist would respond in 3-5 minutes per question.
We have formulated the following questions and organized them by profession or group: Clergy
  • How does your faith inform your position on this issue?
  • How would school prayer affect the faith and religion of students in your congregation?
  • Evaluate schools role in determining acceptable prayer or worship practice in the event the amendment or similar legislation is enacted? Does it conflict with or complement your responsibilities as the spiritual leader of your congregation?
  • What is the historical position of your religion or denomination regarding this particular issue? Does this differ with their current position?

School Officials

  • Have you witnessed, or are you directly familiar with, controversial incidents or situations at your school concerning prayer or religious expression? If so, how were they resolved and do you agree with the resolution processes?
  • Evaluate teachers' and parents' understanding or knowledge of what is acceptable and unacceptable religious expression.
  • Do you think it is possible to have group prayers that do not discriminate against others in your classrooms?

Constitutional Scholars Please outline the parameters of constitutionally protected religious expression in public places, concentrating on public schools? What is your opinion on proposed amendments? Do you think it necessary or worthwhile to amend the clauses in the ways proposed? Is there a consensus among legal scholars on this issue? If not, how would you explain this division? Parental Groups

  • Does the amendment enhance or impair your capacity to influence your children's religious development?
  • Evaluate how well informed parents are on acceptable/unacceptable forms of religious expression.
  • Have your children or the children of others affiliated with your group been subjected to religious persecution by either someone attempting to overreach the boundaries set by the
  • Court or by a school official illegally restricting one's well-established right to practice his/her religion while in school?

Audience Q & A (30 Minutes)

In the final thirty minutes of the forum, you should randomly solicit as many questions as time will permit the panelists to answer. These can either be directed to all the participants or to particular panelists. Location/Time of Event
As you consider a site, you should keep in mind the need for appearance of neutrality and that you want to bear little cost in converting the room to a forum site. Ideal locations are public halls or places that are already equipped for relatively large groups and have quality sound systems. However, you should be careful not to reserve a space whose size might create the appearance of a low turnout regardless of the actual number present. Although it may seem counter-intuitive, we recommend that you reserve a room that is too small rather than too large.
As for the time and date, the primary considerations are that it be held before the end of October and not conflict with the Jewish High Holidays or the Sabbath. These religious considerations, combined with most people's work schedules, suggest that you would attract the most participants during the evening. If you select the evening period over lunchtime, you should start the forum by 6:30 P.M. so that it concludes before 9:00, which might still enable the newspapers and TV stations to cover the event while its still newsworthy. Publicizing the Forum
As soon as you have selected a date and reserved space for your event, you should move quickly to provide the press, and by extension the public, with all its details. Since notification and coverage from local newspapers, radio stations, and TV stations is critical to the event's success, we have created a model press advisory and press release for you to adapt and send out to local and statewide media. As you might expect, while you should notify weekly newspapers as soon as you have confirmed the event's details, you should wait and send the press advisory to TV stations, daily newspapers, and radio stations no sooner than ten days prior to your forum. As for the press release, you should send it out either in the afternoon (if the event is during lunch) or early the next morning (if the event is held at night). Obviously, you will need to modify our suggested press release so that it describes and is compatible with your forum.
To the extent possible and appropriate, you should notify your congregation through church/temple bulletin inserts, bulletin boards, and other available internal communication outlets. As you know, members of this group will likely be among the most receptive to attending the forum, so it is imperative that you make them aware of it. Sample Press Advisory Media Advisory [DATE of ADVISORY] School Prayer Forum [NAME of INTERFAITH ALLIANCE] For More Information Contact: [EVENT COORDINATOR'S NAME] [PHONE NUMBER]
[NAME of ALLIANCE] is sponsoring a forum to discuss possible amendments to the First Amendment religion clauses currently being considered by Congress [DATE/TIME of EVENT] at [EVENT LOCATION]. The forum's panel will include prominent individuals from the religious, legal, and educational communities as well as other interested citizens. [INSERT SPECIFIC NAMES AND BIOGRAPHICAL INFORMATION] The panel will reflect the positions of both those advocating changes in the clauses and those expressing serious concerns about the implications these changes will have for all of our religious liberties. The forum is open to the general public and [NAME of ALLIANCE] encourages those from all religious traditions to participate in this public discussion on [DATE of EVENT]. Through this engaged and civil dialogue between the panelists, the forum should raise public awareness on this issue as Congress begins to consider possible constitutional amendments and illustrate the positive effect that constructive and civil debate can have on public debate in America. Sample Press Release Press Release [DATE of RELEASE] School Prayer Forum [NAME of INTERFAITH ALLIANCE] For More Information Contact: [EVENT COORDINATOR'S NAME] [PHONE NUMBER]
[TODAY/LAST NIGHT] [NAME OF ALLIANCE] sponsored a community discussion on the need for changes in the religion clauses of the First Amendment. [INSERT NAMES & PARTICIPANT INFORMATION] shared their views on this matter and fielded questions from the audience of [APPROXIMATE NUMBER IN ATTENDANCE] Although [INSERT NAMES] argued that the proposed legislation was necessary, the majority of the panel of legal, educational, and religious leaders, including [INSERT NAME], recognized the potential problems with permitting compulsory student or teacher-led prayer or worship in public schools. [INSERT RELEVANT TESTIMONY] Several panelists advocated a massive campaign to educate parents and school officials on the constitutionally-protected parameters of acceptable religious expression in the schools as an alternative to the radical step of amending the First Amendment. While the former will protect our children from unnecessary religious coercion, the latter would undoubtedly restrict their freedom not to participate in religious practices against their will while in school.* * Please contact the national office for help with your press release.
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