San Diego's Carver Elementary School finds itself in the middle of a national debate over how American schools deal with Muslim students. KPBS reporter Alan Ray has the story.
Last September, when a charter school that served mostly Somali students failed, Carver had to take in more than 100 students and added Arabic to its curriculum.
A substitute teacher complained publicly about the Arabic program, and the fact that Muslim students were given time to pray during school. The district investigated and found nothing wrong.
The Union Tribune reports issue has drawn the attention national groups. Rebecca Rauber at the ACLU of San Diego says. They're watching the Carver case to make sure the prayer is voluntary.
Rauber: People praying on lunch time or recess or things like that. Or certainly Bible study groups on voluntary activity that students can join of their own free will. Those kinds of activities are okay.
A Sacramento-based Christian group has even offered to draft a district-wide prayer policy that would allow ministers of all faiths on campus.
The San Diego Chapter of the American Council on American-Islamic Relations supports the Carver plan.
