Friday, June 7 1985/The Battalion/Page 3
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School prayer
B-CS school officials
respond to court decision
I By TERI BALOG
Reporter
ocal school systems have had
mixed reactions to the Supreme
Court’s June 4 decision to ban medi
tation and prayer in public schools.
Blravis Nelson, president of the
Bliyan Independent School District,
said the Supreme Court does not
have the autnority over an individu
als decision to pt ay or meditate.
■“They are making decisions such
askhis, when they could be spending
their time on more important is
sues,” Nelson said. “I think they are
being too literal in their decision.”
HNelson said there was prayer in
■ school system many years ago
when he attended school and he
doesn’t see the need to change.
Bin a 6-3 vote Tuesday, the Su-
pttme Court outlawed daily mo
ments of silence if students are told
they may pray during that time.
The decision does not necessarily
mean that every state law providing
for such daily moments of silence is
invalid. If the law doesn’t mention
“prayer” by public school students —
and if state legislators did not intend
the law to endorse school prayer — it
is valid. Texas doesn’t have such a
law. Each state school district is al
lowed to decide for itself whether or
not to provide a moment of silence.
Dr. Henry Bonorden, superinten
dent of the Hearne school system,
said the Supreme Court made a neu
tral decision.
“It appears that the students may
still use this time to pray or meditate
as long as the word pray is not used,”
Bonorden said. Students should be
informed of the purpose of the mo
ment of silence so the students that
wish to pray can use this opportu
nity, he said.
"There should be a decentraliza
tion of authority on this issue, it
should be left up to the communities
to decide,” Bonorden said.
John Ragor, president of the
Bryan school board, said there is
nothing wrong with silent medita
tion or prayer in school.
However, if the Supreme Court
decides there will be no prayer in
schools, then that is the law, he said.
Perry Pope, director of instruc
tion for Bryan, said the decision
does not effect its schools.
“It is the school’s policy to neither
advance nor inhibit religion,” he
e Station and Hearne
e silent meditation or
said. The classrooms do not have a
meditation or prayer time, because
the law prohibits it, he said.
Since Colle
do not have tl
prayer policy, the Supreme Court
decision does not affect them.
Peggy Crittenden, of the College
Station School System, agrees with
Pope.
“It is against'' the law to have a
meditation or prayer in the schools,”
she said, “so it won’t affect our sys
tem.”
ft Local groups expect little effect
1
00 FI
By DARYN DEZENGOTITA
Reporter
■Tuesday’s Supreme Court deci
sion banning prayer in public
schools will have little or no local ef
fect, several representatives of area
parent-teacher organizations say.
■The current concern with recent
changes in state education board
policy affected by House Bill 72 has
taken precedence over parent-tea-
chct organization group discussions
of school prayer, they say.
ll'The organizations are not active
during the summer, so no immedi
ate action will be taken on the Su
preme Court’s decision.
Bjaime Templeton, president of
the Southwood Valley Elementary
Parent-Teacher Organization says:
“More than likely the decision will
just be disregarded. I really don’t
think it will affect us locally. People
have been so concerned with the
changes in state policy that the sub
ject has never been brought up.”
Two representatives of the Bryan
City Council PTA have conflicting
opinions on the matter but they
agree the decision will have little lo
cal impact.
“I think prayer is needed,” says
Bryan City Council PTA President
Janie Velasquez. “With all the crime
today, prayer couldn’t hurt our chil
dren. I think prayer should be re
inforced daily.”
Marta McMurray, legislative
chairman, says, “Under the circum
stances, I think it’s the best decision
the Court could have made. They
should pray at home and at church,
not at school. This year, the big issue
was House Bill 72. We talked about
it so much that prayer never came
up.”
Brenda Watson, College Hills El
ementary PTA president says, “The
subject will probably be brought up.
I think people want prayer, but the
few who don’t probably will rule.
“I think it’s silly that they can’t use
the word prayer. I think students
ought to be allowed to pray in school
and to call it prayer. I don’t know if
it will affect us. If it does, I’m sure it
will be put to a vote.”
Neither Bryan nor College Station
Independent School Districts have a
ruling on moments of silence in the
classroom, iind there are no state
mandates on the subject.
The Hearne and Navasota dis
tricts do have silent meditation poli
cies.
“I’m sure we will have some dis
cussion on it,” says Debora Copora,
Hearne PTA president. “But we’ve
never really had it practiced.
“I’m around the elementary
schools a lot; I used to teach and I’ve
never seen it (silent meditation) hap
pen. It may be part of the policy or
something they wanted to do a long
time ago, but I’ve never seen it
brought up. It’s not a general policy
as far ^s I know.”
ng
e
White leaning
toward law
to buckle-up
Associated Press
I AUSTIN — Gov. Mark White
said Thursday he is leaning towards
signing a bill that would require
gTexas motorists to wear their seat
belts.
| “I’m inclined in that direction, but
Ihaven’t finished reading the bill,”
Kite said.
White noted that wearing seat
belts saves lives and reduces auto ac-
ddent injuries, but said he wasn’t
fond of the tactics the federal gov
ernment has employed on the issue,
fc' States have been told that unless
mandatory seat belt laws are put into
effect, automakers will be required
to install the much more expensive
air bags.
i* “I am a firm believer,” White said.
“Seat belts can save your life. It’s a
question of whether the government
ftc
Houston man boasts of dealing
for alleged Mexican drug gang
nything Rot should mandate it
i.”
Associated Press
HOUSTON — A Houston man boasted that he is a
dealer for an alleged Mexican drug gang and is an asso
ciate of Rafael Caro-Quintero, accused of the abduc
tion-killing of a U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration
agent, an undercover officer testified Wednesday.
DEA agent Michael Spasaro testified he negotiated a
$1 million drug deal with Carolos Ivan Orozco, 43, who
claimed last week that he distributes cocaine in the
United States for the “Quintero cartel.”
During a hearing Wednesday before U.S. Magistrate
Calvin Botley, Spasaro said Orozco agreed to buy
nearly seven pounds of cocaine and was making plans
to purchase an additional 66 pounds.
The alleged gang, which authorities believe is run by
Caro’s uncles, has been the subject of A two-year investi
gation by a Houston-based Organized Crime Drug En
forcement Task Force.
The Quinteros are accused in court documents of
operating a major Mexican drug network that smuggles
cocaine, heroin and marijuana into the United States.
They have not been charged with any drug violations.
Rafael Caro-Quintero has been charged by Mexican
authorities in the February abduction and killing of
DEA agent Enrique Camarena Salazar and pilot Al
fredo Zavala.
During the negotiations, Spasaro said, Orozco talked
about the slaying.
“He said he was personal close friends with two of
(Caro’s) uncles,” Spasaro. “We talked about their prob
lems with the killing of the agent and all the heat they’re
feeling.”
Investigators also learned that Orozco was involved
in a $200 million real estate deal for the Quinteros and
lived in a house in the Houston area owned by the fam
ily, Spasaro said.
Orozco claimed he was a distributor for a drug gang
in Miami that was responsible for the importation of
one ton of cocaine seized by agents last month, the
agent said. Orozco also said he needed to buy cocaine
from the agent because he had lost 88 pounds of the
drug during the seizure, Spasaro said.
Orozco, Edward Jimenez, 33, and Ahmed Essaied,
33, were accused in a federal complaint last Friday of
conspiring to possess and distribute cocaine. All are be
ing held without bond.
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