Education: Prayer for the Classroom

To the New York State Board of Regents, separation of church and state does not mean that the public schools should bar God from the classroom entirely. "Belief in ... God," said the regents, "was the very cornerstone upon which our Founding Fathers buiided . . . We are convinced that this fundamental belief ... is the best security against the dangers of these difficult days." Last week, in an unprecedented recommendation to all New York's public schools, the regents (eight Protestants, three Roman Catholics, two Jews) urged that pupils be allowed to share in that belief by beginning each day with a prayer:

"Almighty God, we acknowledge our dependence upon Thee, and we beg Thy blessings upon us, our parents, our teachers, and our country."