Page:United States Statutes at Large Volume 115 Part 2.djvu/997

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PUBLIC LAW 107-110-JAN. 8, 2002 115 STAT. 1981 elementary schools and secondary schools, including making the. guidance available on the Internet. The guidance shall be reviewed, prior to distribution, by the Office of Legal Counsel of the Department of Justice for verification that the guidance represents the current state of the law concerning constitutionally protected prayer in public elementary schools and secondary schools. "(b) CERTIFICATION. —As a condition of receiving funds under this Act, a local educational agency shall certify in writing to the State educational agency involved that no policy of the local educational agency prevents, or otherwise denies participation in, constitutionally protected prayer in public elementary schools and secondary schools, as detailed in the guidance required under subsection (a). The certification shall be provided by October 1 of each year. The State educational agency shall report to the Secretary by November 1 of each year a list of those local educational agencies that have not filed the certification or against which complaints have been made to the State educational agency that the local educational agencies are not in compliance with this section. "(c) ENFORCEMENT.— The Secretary is authorized and directed to effectuate subsection (b) by issuing, and securing compliance with, rules or orders with respect to a local educational agency that fails to certify, or is found to have certified in bad faith, that no policy of the local educational agency prevents, or otherwise denies participation in, constitutionally protected prayer in public elementary schools and secondary schools. "SEC. 9525. EQUAL ACCESS TO PUBLIC SCHOOL FACILITIES. Boy Scouts of "(a) SHORT TITLE.— This section may be cited as the 'Boy Scouts Access Act/' of America Equal Access Act'. 20 USC 7905. "(b) IN GENERAL. — "(1) EQUAL ACCESS. —Notwithstanding any other provision of law, no public elementary school, public secondary school, local educational agency, or State educational agency that has a designated open forum or a limited public forum and that receives funds made available through the Department shall deny equal access or a fair opportunity to meet to, or discriminate against, any group officially affiliated with the Boy Scouts of America, or any other youth group listed in title 36 of the United States Code (as a patriotic society), that wishes to conduct a meeting within that designated open forum or limited public forum, including denying such access or opportunity or discriminating for reasons based on the membership or leadership criteria or oath of allegiance to God and country of the Boy Scouts of America or of the youth group listed in title 36 of the United States Code (as a patriotic society). "(2) VOLUNTARY SPONSORSHIP. — Nothing in this section shall be construed to require any school, agency, or a school served by an agency to sponsor any group officially affiliated with the Boy Scouts of America, or any other youth group listed in title 36 of the United States Code (as a patriotic society). " (c) TERMINATION OF ASSISTANCE AND OTHER ACTION.— "(1) DEPARTMENTAL ACTION. —The Secretary is authorized and directed to effectuate subsection (b) by issuing and securing compliance with rules or orders with respect to a public elementary school, public secondary school, local educational agency, or State educational agency that receives funds made