[Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents Volume 35, Number 51 (Monday, December 27, 1999)]
[Pages 2647-2648]
[Online from the Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

<R04>
The President's Radio Address

December 18, 1999

    Good morning. The holiday season is a time when America's remarkable 
religious diversity shines brightest in so many homes and different 
places of worship and schools. Today I want to talk to you about the 
role of faith in our lives, in all of our religious diversity, and, 
particularly, in the education of our children.
    America's founders were men and women of faith, many of whom fled 
oppression overseas to find freedom on our shores. They believed the 
best way to protect religious liberty was to guarantee, first of all, 
the right to practice religion by the dictates of their own conscience; 
and second, to forbid our Government from imposing or establishing any 
religious belief. In their wisdom, they enshrined these two principles 
in our Constitution.
    But, of course, reconciling these principles has not always been 
easy, especially when it comes to our education system. Finding the 
proper place for faith in our schools is a complex and emotional matter 
for many Americans. But I have never believed the Constitution required 
our schools to be religion-free zones or that our children must check 
their faiths at the schoolhouse door.
    Americans expect our schools to teach our children the knowledge and 
skills they need to succeed in life. We also trust our schools to 
strengthen the moral foundation of our society, to reinforce the values 
taught at home and in our communities.
    Studies show that children involved in religious activities are less 
likely to use drugs. Experience tells us they're more likely to stay out 
of trouble. Common sense says that faith and faith-based organizations 
from all religious backgrounds can play an important role in helping 
children to reach their fullest potential. That's why I've always 
supported individual students' rights to voluntarily practice religious 
beliefs, including prayer in school or to engage in religious activities 
on school grounds, but not to have any kind of enforced such activities.
    Now, in 1995 our administration released a set of principles for 
protecting religious freedom in our public schools. We did so in 
response to parents and educators who asked for help in knowing what 
kinds of religious activities are permissible in public schools and what 
is not permissible. They asked for help in respecting the rights and 
beliefs of all students, from the most observant from all religious 
backgrounds to those who choose freely, as is their right, to completely 
abstain from any religious activity.
    Those guidelines we issued make it clear that students do have the 
right to pray privately and individually in school, the right to say 
grace at lunch, the right to meet in religious groups on school grounds 
and to use school facilities just like any other groups do. They have 
the right to read the Bible or other religious books during study hall 
or free class time and the right to be free from coercion to participate 
in religious activity of any kind.

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Now, since we first issued those guidelines, appropriate religious 
activity has flourished in our schools and continuing in our country. 
Today I'm announcing the release of expanded guidelines, more practical 
help for teachers and principals, for parents and students, for the 
whole community. Guidelines like this will help teachers better 
understand how to teach about religions and help faith-based 
organizations join the effort to improve public education.
    Across America, schools and faith-based organizations are telling us 
they want to build new and effective partnerships, like the large number 
of faith-based groups involved in America Reads or the Shiloh Baptist-
Seaton Elementary School partnership, which offers after-school 
activities here in Washington, DC. Faith-based organizations in schools, 
though different in many ways, do often share important goals: expanding 
opportunities to learn, lifting children's lives. Our new guidelines 
will help them work together on common ground to meet constitutional 
muster, to avoid making students uncomfortable because they come from 
different religious traditions, while helping students make the most of 
their God-given talents. These guidelines also tell us that a consensus 
is emerging among educators and religious leaders and among defenders of 
the first amendment. So many of them have endorsed our efforts. Their 
voices echo the words of George
Washington who said that Americans have, and I quote, ``abundant reason 
to rejoice, that in this land every person may worship God according to 
the dictates of his own heart.''
    Today, as we count the days down to the end of the 20th century and 
the beginning of the 21st, we know that this fundamental and precious 
liberty is still strong. We are determined that it will remain so, not 
just for our own children but for generations yet to come.
    Thanks for listening.

Note: The President spoke at 10:06 a.m. from the Oval Office at the 
White House.