It has been 31 years since the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that school-sponsored prayer was unconstitutional. But Knox thought that he’d found some room to maneuver. Last year a federal appeals court ruled that students could lead prayers at a Texas high-school graduation. Therefore he concluded that students at Wingfield High could do the same–every day. When student-government leaders put the idea to the student body in early November, the vote was 490 to 96 in favor.
For three days last month, Knox permitted students to read a 21-word prayer over the school’s public-address system immediately after morning announcements. Schools Superintendent Ben Canada ordered him to stop, suspended him when he refused and finally fired him the day before Thanksgiving for insubordination. Overnight, Knox, a 38-year-old African-American, became a martyr. He has found support from a veritable Noah’s ark of interest groups. He is represented by lawyers from the American Family Association, the group headed by Donald Wildmon, a vocal figure of the religious right who happens to be headquartered up the road in Tupelo. The Rev. Jesse Jackson phoned his support. Thousands–including Gov. Kirk Fordice–turned out for interracial prayer rallies on the steps of the state capitol. Nearly 300 students who cut classes to protest Knox’s firing were suspended, and later given amnesty, after a lawyer affiliated with Pat Robertson’s American Center for Law and justice intervened in their behalf.
Religion in the public schools has long been an emotional issue. It’s also become somewhat confused. Students are free now to pray in after-school Bible clubs or hold extracurricular Bible-study classes on campus, and announce their meetings in school. “Kids have a lot of rights now to exercise their religious beliefs, but they’re not using them,” says Perry Sansing, a Jackson school-district lawyer.
Knox is fighting his dismissal. During a daylong session with a hearing officer last week, he calmly defended his action. “Again, I maintain that I have not failed to follow any directive given to me,” Knox insisted. “I have not violated board policy, I have not done anything unconstitutional.” School-system attorney James Keith claimed Knox was reckless and unprofessional in ignoring advice from the district staff attorney that the prayer was illegal. “I agree it might do people good to hear a prayer,” says Keith, “but I don’t have the right to impose my prayer on them, and that’s the issue.” The school board will consider the matter this week, and the battle could end up in court. Knox, who has been a “committed Christian” since 1982, claims that his decision wasn’t guided by personal convictions alone. “We want institutions,” he says, “to acknowledge God.” And the school system wants Knox to acknowledge the law of the land.
