A group formed in the wake of the Littleton, Colo. school shootings is considering local safety measures that include student volunteer work and the return of spanking. Trustee Leonard Mosher said he would like to see laws passed in Wyoming that guarantee parents the right to physically discipline their children. Debbie Martinez of Cheyenne said schools should allow prayer and religious teaching because the country's morals began to decay when prayer was abolished in school in the 1960s.
Religion goes hand in hand with violence in schools.
Sunny Kaste, a public health nurse, recommended the community adopt a program that encourages children to be responsible. Other ideas include metal detectors, surveillance cameras, receiving credit for working or volunteering, creating a college and vocational track, random drug testing for staff and students and creating a place for anonymous students to report violence or possible violence. But school can't become a secondary issue. The group hopes to have its recommendations ready by the end of July and plans to spend August focusing on the issue of prayer in school. The committee plans to meet again Tuesday.