America needs to take the school system back from violent juveniles. Parent s should not have to hold their breath when they drop their child off at school and our children should not be afraid to go. This Congress is working to find ways to keep our children and our schools safe. This year, we passed legislation giving localities more control over how federal education funds should be spent, giving them the leeway necessary to spend this money on their schools specific needs, including school safety and programs to prevent youth violence. I believe preventing a child from expressing his or her faith at school is one roadblock today s parents do not need in their way.
Faith is a personal issue and individual for each family.
But regardless of a person s belief system, each of us should have the ability to express our religious beliefs on public property, including schools. The Framers of the Constitution never intended for the First Amendment to be used to prevent us from expressing religious beliefs rather, they intended to keep the government from dictating a particular set of religious beliefs. To respect these principles, I voted in favor of the Religious Freedom Amendment, which gives children the ability to pray in school without punishment. Further, the Amendment stated that the government cannot compel anyone to participate in prayer or other religious activity, and cannot prescribe what those prayers might be. While I was disappointed this measure did not gain the votes necessary for passage, the fact that a majority of Members voted in its favor is an important step forward.