I have opposed constitutional amendments which would have allowed school boards to write prayers or teachers to direct prayers. If you ever want to stop a Rotary audience, when somebody asks you about school prayers, just ask them who…

The words ``constitutionally permitted'' are not in this amendment. What the Senator is saying is that school districts must allow prayer that is constitutional.

I do not think we are compelling the school district to do anything. I think we are saying you must follow the existing constitutional law.

They can say that you cannot have compulsory prayer, you cannot have school-led prayer, you cannot have teacher-led prayer. I do not know whether or not the Court has said, if school starts at 8:15 in the morning, that at 9:30 Susie or…

Except it withholds funds. That is rather significant to a local school district. At the moment, I suppose we can pass a sense-of-the-Senate resolution that says to the local school district, ``Do not violate the Constitution. If the…

I believe it has said that a child can have a moment of silent prayer. I am not sure what it has said about a minute of oral prayer, a child doing it himself, so long as it does not disrupt the class, or if somebody says grace before meals.

But if you were to add the words ``constitutionally permitted'' and the Court has said it is fine to have a moment of private, personal prayer or oral prayer but you cannot set yourself afire or you cannot roll about the aisles and disturb…

No, if you were to add the words ``constitutionally permitted,'' the school district can put limitations on unconstitutional prayer. They can say you cannot----

Let me ask my good friend from Missouri a question then because this amendment really falls, in my mind, into three categories. First, we are going to withhold the funds; second, if you prohibit constitutional prayers; and third, the local…

When the school district attempts to require the student to say a prayer, that is unconstitutional.

And if the school district attempts to take away that right, should we sanction them by withholding funds?

I would be inclined to, given the circumstance you mentioned, probably agree with you in that fact situation. If you had a zealous 90 percent Christian district with proselytizing kids, harassing their 10 percent, the 10 percent Jewish…