Proponents of school prayer have come up with a new approach in Alabama. Proposed
House Bill 318 calls for reading prayers from the Congressional Record to teach students about Congress' formal procedures:
At the commencement of the first class of each day in all grades in all public schools, the teacher ... shall, for a period of time not exceeding 15 minutes, instruct the class in the formal procedures followed by the United States Congress. The study shall include, but not be limited to, a reading verbatim of one of the opening prayers given by the House or Senate Chaplain or a guest member of the clergy at the beginning of a meeting of the House of Representatives or the Senate.
The
Anniston Star this week quotes the Rep. Steve Hurst, the bill's sponsor:
Hurst said the bill would help students learn more about history and civics. "They could read the prayer from the day war was declared in World War II," he said. "They could read the prayer the day after Sept. 11."
