VIRGINIA SCHOOLS WON'T SAY "PRAY" THIS FALL

RICHMOND, Virginia (CWNews.com) - Teachers in Virginia won't be able to tell students that a moment silence can be used for prayer, under state Education Department guidelines issued on Tuesday.

The department told school districts this week not to tell students this fall that they have the option to pray during the mandatory moment of silence which was implemented by the legislature in March. The guidelines recommend that a teacher or principal simply announce, "As we begin another day, let us pause for a moment of silence."

The Washington Post says Virginia lawmakers who supported legislation requiring a moment of silence are furious. "This is a very tepid response to a moral crisis in this country," the Post quotes Delegate Robert Marshall as saying. "If they're so timid about mentioning the word "prayer," I'm doubtful about what it [the moment of silence] will do."

The attorney general's office said any suggestion to pray or not to pray by teachers could lead to a successful challenge of the "moment of silence" law as a violation of the separation of church and state.

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