Re: 21st Century Zorach

[A.E. Brownstein]

Further, the goal of accommodating religion simply can not justify a 
religion only release time program. I support religiously exclusive 
accommodations when there is some reason not to open the class of 
accommodated individuals to include non-religious individuals. And often 
that is the case. But in a program that keeps non-participating students in 
an empty classroom with no organized activities provided for them, what 
possible justification can there be for insisting that students waste their 
time this way -- instead of allowing them to participate in a 
supplementary, non-religious, educational program off campus that their 
parents would like them to attend.

Nor do I think that arranging for the release time program at the end of 
the school day imposes any great hardship on families. I understand that 
just because Lincoln walked miles to school every day doesn't mean our kids 
should have to do so too. But 50 years ago, I, and thousands of other 
Jewish kids in New York City, spent several hours each week in Hebrew 
School after school had ended -- without any formal release time program. I 
just don't see the problem here.

Alan Brownstein
UC Davis

At 11:26 AM 2/18/2005 -0800, you wrote:
Alan is correct about the need for non-religious alternatives.  Good News 
was premised, in part, on the fact that the immediately after-school time 
was available to a host of groups (though no other group had exercised 
that right).  As Doug recommended, release time should occur after the 
school day so as not to provide an unfair advantage to the religious 
groups of a potential captive audience (not to mention potential coercion 
or endorsement perceptions), and the opportunity must be extended to 
non-religious groups.
--
Steven K. Green, J.D., Ph.D.
Associate Professor
Director, Center for Law and Government
Willamette University College of Law
245 Winter St., SE
Salem, OR 97301
503-370-6732

_______________________________________________
To post, send message to Religionlaw@lists.ucla.edu
To subscribe, unsubscribe, change options, or get password, see 
http://lists.ucla.edu/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/religionlaw

Please note that messages sent to this large list cannot be viewed as 
private.  Anyone can subscribe to the list and read messages that are 
posted; people can read the Web archives; and list members can (rightly or 
wrongly) forward the messages to others.
_______________________________________________
To post, send message to Religionlaw@lists.ucla.edu
To subscribe, unsubscribe, change options, or get password, see 
http://lists.ucla.edu/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/religionlaw
Please note that messages sent to this large list cannot be viewed as private.  Anyone can subscribe to the list and read messages that are posted; people can read the Web archives; and list members can (rightly or wrongly) forward the messages to others.