A bill that would allow prayer and other "inspirational messages" to be delivered by students at school assemblies cleared the Florida Senate Wednesday.

Senators voted 31-8 to pass a much broader version of Senate Bill 98.   

The bill sponsor, Gary Siplin, a democrat from Orlando, says he changed the language to include students in kindergarten through 12th grade instead of just high schoolers.

"I think that it's fine if the children want to say prayers and have inspirational messages in schools," Naples mother Erin Viltro said.
   
The bill does not define "inspirational" but the Orlando Democrat admitted it could include student-initiated and student-led prayer.

"On their own volition, voluntarily, without any type of input from any type of adults, issue or say inspirational message," Siplin said.

"As long as none of the adults get involved and it's only the students, I think that's really good," Naples father Jason Ballard said.

Other Democratic senators say the bill may be unconstitutional.

"It's unconstitutional. It allows students from elementary to 12th grade to come up with an inspirational message," Senator Arthenia Joyner said.

U.S. Supreme Court decisions have banned state-sponsored prayer in public schools.

"Any time a school district can have local contorl of an issue, I'm absolutely in favor of it," Collier County School Board member Pat Carroll said.

Collier County's policy on prayer states that you can not prohibit any student in participating in any prayer or any religious ceremony.

"There is a difference in not prohibiting something and allowing something, and I believe this bill goes a step further in actually allowing it," Carroll said.

The bill provides for policy-makers in each of Florida's school districts to adopt their own policy allowing prayer.

Carroll said she did not anticipate a policy change, but that school board members would discuss it, in the event the bill becomes law.

A House version of Siplin's bill has been stalled in an education subcommittee since October.