A member of the Hawthorne School Board announced today that the board would appeal a ruling ordering the board to halt the reading of the Bible and recital of the Lord’s Prayer in opening daily exercises in Hawthorne schools. The ruling was issued yesterday by Superior Judge Morris Pashman.
In issuing the ruling, Judge Pashman cited the U.S. Supreme Court ban last June on all such practices in public schools in the United States. The Hawthorne board was one of a number throughout the United States which have ignored the Supreme Court ruling, contending that the Supreme Court ban did not necessarily apply to their situations. Judge Pashman’s ruling was on a contention that the Supreme Court decision did not apply to public schools in New Jersey.
Albert Neumann, the school board member, said that the board would comply with the order but that it would also authorize its attorney to appeal Judge Pashman’s decision. The board indicated it expected the issue to go to the U.S. Supreme Court.
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