Alabama House committee approves constitutional amendment on school prayer

An Alabama House committee approved a bill on Wednesday that would require local school boards to adopt a policy allowing employees and students to voluntarily pray in school.

But the committee made significant changes to HB 231, sponsored by Rep. Reed Ingram, R-Matthews, a constitutional amendment that must be approved by voters if it passes the Legislature. 

As filed, the bill required a daily prayer and specified that the prayer must reflect Judeo-Christian values. A substitute adopted by the committee removed that requirement.

“We took out the Christianity requirement, where if somebody had a different belief, it would be any of their religion,” Ingram said. “And I’m a Christian, and have been, and always will be. But I do respect other religions as well, too, and other people come into this country with different beliefs and that’s their right and opinion.”

Current law generally allows school prayer and religious studies outside of school buildings. Other changes to the bill include that prayers cannot be done in a classroom or during instructional time, and students must get parental consent to participate.

“Prayer has to go on before the school time or after school time. So they would have a room that they could pray in if the school, whatever the school board decided for them to,” he said.

The legislation also requires schools to start each day with the Pledge of Allegiance. If schools do not comply consistently with this requirement, the state superintendent must withhold 25% of state funding. The Legislature will also be authorized to withhold funding from noncompliant schools if they continue to violate the legislation.

“These kids that grow up these days don’t understand what the flag is and what it means. And I think that’s part of the teaching,” he said.

The bill moves to the full House.