Advocates of public moral education say the Supreme Court may have banned prayer in schools but it had never insisted that schools be neutral on values.

In 1962, the Supreme Court banned school-mandated prayer and in 1963 it struck down bible reading in public schools.

The battle was joined July 30 when the A.C.L.U. went to Federal court seeking to ban prayer from public school graduations.

The Supreme Court banned organized school-sponsored prayer for students in 1962.

Ms. O'Hair, 76, drew national attention when she made a legal challenge that led to the 1963 Supreme Court ruling that effectively banned organized prayer in public schools.

The Supreme Court banned such prayer in 1962 in its landmark decision in Engel v. Vitale.

His position is that such a player is drawing attention to God and that the N.C.A.A. was banning prayer from football.

The official Girl Scout policy does not ban or require prayer.

They promoted Judge Bork as a man who would help reverse Court decisions legalizing abortion, banning organized prayer in schools and upholding affirmative action programs to correct racial discrimination.

The advocates for prayer in schools, led by Mr. Robertson, are threatening to sue boards that ban prayer at graduation ceremonies.