Internet Increasing Visibility Of Violations Of School Prayer Ban

Noting that the Supreme Court declared some 50 years ago that "officially sponsored prayer in public schools violated the separation of church and state," the New York Times (12/28, Eckholm, Subscription Publication) reports that "in some corners of the country, especially in the rural South, open prayer and Christian symbols have never really disappeared from schools, with what legal advocates call brazen violations of the law coming to light many times each year." The piece describes a South Carolina event which included "overt evangelizing," noting that such "religious advocacy...is increasingly coming to light, legal experts say, as school populations become more diverse and as the objection of non-Christians - or, in this case, the rejoicing of evangelists - is broadcast on the Internet."