DR. WALLACE: A student wrote to you saying that his principal wouldn't allow him to start the school day with a short prayer over the school's intercom. He was told no because, according to the school board, it would be a violation of the separation of church and state.

Nowhere in the Constitution does it mention the separation of church and state. This boy had the constitutional right to say a prayer over the school intercom. Those who didn't want to hear it could plug their ears.

I am surprised that you agreed the boy should not say a prayer over the intercom. In your opinion, why is it so terribly wrong? — Religious Mom, via email

RELIGIOUS MOM: The Constitution forbids the establishment of a state religion — that is, the government endorsement of one religion as superior to all others. The practical effect of this principle in a public high school setting is that if one religious group uses the PA system for prayer, then all students of all religions should absolutely be allowed to do the same.

When I was a principal, I once had to make a decision on this very issue. A Youth for Christ group asked me if we could start the day with a morning Christian prayer over the intercom before the daily announcements. I declined their request.

Personally, I believe in prayer, but I was paid to be principal for all of the students at a tax-supported school, and some of the students there were non-Christian.

I could have given non-Christian students the same opportunity to say a morning prayer over the intercom. However, with more than 3,000 students of diverse religious backgrounds, I felt it best to allow all students of various religious beliefs to meet for up to 15 minutes every Friday morning in various parts of the campus to worship and enjoy fellowship with each other. Only students of our high school could attend. Parents and clergy were banned. And those students who did not want to participate in religious fellowship of any kind were allowed to enjoy those 15 minutes talking in the quad with their friends or reading a book.

This program didn't make everybody happy, but those who were serious about their religious beliefs were satisfied. Most of the students liked the program, but some parents indeed protested. I told them that if they wanted their child to participate more fully in their religion at school throughout the day, then they should enroll their child in a parochial school or even consider home-schooling their child.

It is very important for public schools to be fair to students of all backgrounds, faiths and races. It's a difficult balancing act for high school and middle school administrators to accommodate all requests given the time constraints that a public education curriculum demands.

This is why some parents opt for parochial schools or home schooling for their children. America's strength lies in its diversity and the freedom of religious options our country provides. The topic of religion and schooling demonstrates this strength, as there are many suitable options every family can consider.

Dr. Robert Wallace welcomes questions from readers. Although he is unable to reply to all of them individually, he will answer as many as possible in this column. Email him at rwallace@thegreatestgift.com. To find out more about Dr. Robert Wallace and read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate website at www.creators.com.