BIBLE-CLASS RULING SHOULD EASE SCHOOLS' FEARS

It is surprising that a lawsuit centering on whether a children's Bible study class can meet at a public school ever reached the highest court in the land.

But it did, and the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that if Milford Central School in upstate New York lets the Boy Scouts and 4-H club meet at the school, the Good News Bible Class can do the same.

The school had argued that allowing the club to meet at the school was an unconstitutional government promotion of religion.

But the court said there is "no logical difference between the invocation of Christianity by the club and the invocation of teamwork, loyalty or patriotism by other associations."

Once the school opened its doors to after-school civic meetings with a moral theme, the court ruled, the Bible class couldn't be excluded without the school violating First Amendment free-speech rights.

Cases like this reach the Supreme Court because many public school districts have overreacted in their efforts to assure a separation of church and state.

Perhaps the Supreme Court's ruling has eased the fears of those districts with this latest ruling, making it clear that the many prayer groups, Bible classes and even churches that meet in public schools around the nation are entitled to do so if the school district opens its doors to any other non-school group.