The decision this week by the Val Verde school board to ignore the U.S. Constitution and post copies of the Ten Commandments on school house walls is deeply troubling. The Supreme Court has said that such action violates the religious freedom guarantees of the First Amendment. Nevertheless, the school board has proclaimed that it is free to disregard the law of the land. Educators should teach our children that, in this country, it is the rule of law that governs, not the whims of administrators and bureaucrats.

Val Verde's action serves no educational purpose. It is about religious indoctrination, pure and simple. It is not about integrating the Bible, including the Ten Commandments, into the curriculum in an objective manner as part of a discussion on the history of religion, comparative religion, or ethical values - a practice the Supreme Court allows.

Make no mistake about it -- the school board will be sued, and it will lose. But the real losers here are the students in Val Verde. The taxpayer funds that the school board will waste in lawsuits could be used for textbooks, computers, and other instructional materials. Unfortunately, the school board has placed the politics of symbolism over the educational needs of its students and decided to divide them along religious lines.

The ACLU of Southern California today announced that it would pursue legal action against the Board of Education of the Orange Unified School District if it refuses to allow a Gay-Straight Alliance Club at El Modena High School.

"Failure of the board to permit the proposed club to form and meet like other non-curriculum clubs at El Modena would have serious legal consequences," said Michael Small, the ACLU's chief counsel. "It is laudable that students are seeking to come together to start a critically important dialogue on tolerance and understanding of issues related to sexual orientation. Indeed, it is just that sort of conversation that public school officials should be fostering. Instead of encouraging that discussion, however, the school board seems intent on stifling it."

By denying the formation of the Gay Straight Alliance, the board would violate the freedoms of expression and association that are guaranteed by the First Amendment of the United States Constitution and by parallel articles in the California Constitution. The board's action could also have a significant impact on the district's eligibility for federal education funds under a statute that prohibits public schools from discriminating against student clubs on the basis of a club's philosophical or political viewpoint.

"We understand the board will vote on this issue on November 18," added Small. "Should the board fail to vote to allow the club to form and meet, it can be sure that swift and severe legal consequences will follow."

The ACLU of Southern California applauds the Los Angeles City Council for today's 9 to 1 vote in opposition to the Gang Violence and Juvenile Crime Prevention Initiative (Prop 21) that will appear on the March 2000 ballot. We agree with the council that the measure "would enact an overly punitive approach to juvenile crime. Punishment is significantly emphasized over rehabilitation, thereby having devastating effects on high-risk youth."

Today's vote is an important first step in the ultimate defeat of this initiative. We believe that Californians who understand the devastating effects this measure will have on our young people will echo the resounding "NO" sounded by the Los Angeles City Council. The Gang Violence and Juvenile Crime Prevention Initiative is not about prevention. Instead, it wages a costly war against California's children. Prop 21 pushes more children into adult courts where they would be sentenced to adult prisons. It vastly expands gang penalties, including the death penalty, and promises to cost California taxpayers "hundreds of millions of dollars" each year, according to the California Legislative Analyst Office Report, taking funds away from funds that could be used to improve our schools.

We urge all Californians to join the community, faith and professional organizations that oppose Proposition 21 and stop this mean-spirited, misguided and ill-advised attack on our youth.