by Victor Skinner, EAGNews.org
Indiana lawmakers are considering legislation to protect religious students from discrimination by preventing public and charter schools from creating policies that ban them from worshiping on campus.
The “prayer in schools” bill — HB 1024 —would prohibit schools from discriminating against students or their parents “on the basis of a religious viewpoint or religious expression” and require schools to create a policy allowing students to pray at school events, WVIK reports.
HB 1024, sponsored by Representative John Bartlett, an Indianapolis Democrat, “provides that students may express their beliefs about religion in homework, artwork, and other written and oral assignments free from discrimination based on the religious content of their submissions,” according to the Indiana General Assembly website.
The bill also requires that schools allow students to engage in religious activities before, during, and after school to the same extent as students who participate in nonreligious activities. Further, the bill prohibits schools from censoring student clothing jewelry or other messages based on religious references.
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