<font size=""1""><font color="#"black"">Liberalism is not an affilation its a curable disease. </font></font><br /><br><font color="#"gray"">~Wisdom of Shawnshuefus</font><br /><br><font color="#"blue""><font size=""1"">The punishment which the wise suffer, who refuse to take part in government, is...
When the time of a meeting has arrived, the PResiding officer opens it, after he has determined that a quorum is present, by calling the meeting to order.He takes the chair (that is, occupies the presiding officer's station in the hall), waits or signals for quiet, and while standing, announces in a clear voice, "The meeting will now come to order," or, "The meeting will be in order." The call to order may be immediately followed by religious or patriotic exercises or other opening ceremonies.
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This is not a "law" but parlementairy procedure may groups follow.
As a matter of fact, last month I couldn't get anyones attention fro nothing to call the meeting so I took the microphone (off thank goodness!) and sang "Unbreak My Heart" like in that commercial. Not the best way to call to order a meeting but got the evening started with a good laugh!
Being a president of public school I would never try it, but if it were at a Catholic or religious school the kids are starting their day with one why not at the PTO meeting.
Cindy<br />
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<br>"People have the right to be stupid, but some abuse the privelege."
Perhaps not "illegal" as long as the prayer is non-denominational however quite a controversial subject. I would not begin a meeting with a devotional to the Koran even though the bill of rights gives me that "right"....because I'm the "presider" of a group looking to unite on the basis of a shared aspect of our lives--our children. Why look for a reason to be devisive? In my position I am not there to further my own beliefs but to unite parents on the premise that we are there to do what is best for the groups goals towards our parent teacher group. Let's all sing the school song!!!
Bill of Rights -- One's right to life, liberty, property, to free speech, a free press, freedom of worship and assembly, and other fundamental rights may not be submitted to vote; they depend on the outcome of no elections."
To guarantee freedom of religion, the First Amendment specifies two restrictions on government must not promote the establishment of religion or prohibit its free exercise.
Often these two restrictions tend to oppose each other, so the key to freedom of religion is striking a neutral to religious ideas and institutions, granting them no special privileges or exemptions. This is what is meant by separation of state and church.
Freedom from religion does not mean, as some mistakenly seem to claim, being free from seeing religion in society. No one has the right not to see churches, religious expression, and other examples of religious belief in our nation — and those of us who advocate freedom of religion do not claim otherwise --it is the freedom from the rules and dogmas of other people’s religious beliefs so that we can be free to follow the demands of our own conscience, whether they take a religious form or not.
Excerpts taken from Shawns lectures on 'Freedom from Religion- Not?!'
Its a hot and contreversial (sp?) topic but there is no law that bans/restricts or otherwise makes prayer at PTA/PTO's meetings illegal
