Indiana Gazette from Indiana, Pennsylvania • 8

Page 8 Thundoy, July 1 5, 1 999 1Et jlnbiann (Santttt Why not post com ma nd ments? district is worried about guns and drugs. Before 1 962, the big issue was gum and paper wads." With the recent spate of school shootings that included the horrific slayings at Columbine High in little-ton, members of the clergy, elected officials and lawmakers nationwide are pushing the Bible as a solution to school violence. The House of Representatives re-. cently passed a bill allowing the posting of the Ten Commandments in schools and state-owned or administered facilities. In Adams County, Ohio, a group of ministers paid to place tablets outside four high schools to counter "moral decline." In Altoona, Dull and his parishioners asked the school board in May to hang posters of the com-.

mandmenls in all 13 schools and offer an elective course on biblical law. "Maybeitwillputsomegoodman-. ners Into peoples heads. There aren't By DAVID KINNEY Associated Press Writer. Pa.

Students filing Into Altoona's schools are greeted with stern words of welcome, written in red on glass doors: "Metal detector in use" and "You are subject to search." This district spends about $300,000 a year on security. It has its own security force and volunteers patrolling the halls. In this post-Columbine High summer, the schools are being wired for cameras. All of which prompted the Rev. Gary Dull, a local minister, to offer a solution even more in vogue today than those airport-style safety precautions: Why not simply post the Ten Commandments? "Since the Supreme Court took prayer and Bible reading out of schools in 1962, we've had a complete downgrading of morals," said Dull, the pastor of a Baptist church and a radio show host "Every school many God-fearing people here," said Veronica Morgan, 16, a junior who is in her church youth group.

The U.S. Supreme Court in the 1960s ruled that organized prayer and Bible readings were not permit- -ted in public schools; 19 years ago, It decided posting the Ten Commandments violated the Constitution's ban of government-established religion. All of the decisions have been under fire. "This is a foundational historical document," said Bruce St. Laurent, a retiree who runs United Prayer Fellowship, a group trying to get the Ten Commandments placed in Tennessee courthouses beside the U.S.

Constitution and the Declaration of Independence. In Waynesville, N.C., the words of the Ten Commandments are etched in the marble wall of its courtroom along with a bas-relief of Lady Justice. The county argues it's a historical display and a federal judge backed the county. Local atheists are appealing the ruling. The debate has been somewhat se- date in Altoona, a working-class town of 49,200.

Altoona is battling the problems of drugs, crime and a deteriorating downtown. School board member Richard Lockard, a member of Dull's church, said weapons have been found in school buildings in recent years, though the district hasn't had any safety crises. "We put up with no said superintendent Dennis Murray, who's opposed to posting the commandments. "You wear a swastika, you're gone." Rabbi Burt Schuman of Altoona's Temple Beth Israel, said religious minorities have a different take on the past than the Baptists. He remembers being forced to recite -the Lord's Prayer at school.

"That didn't diminish the gang wars, it didn't stop racist outbursts, it didn't stop girls from being groped in the stairwell, it didn't stop boys from sniffing In the bathroom," he said. "Let's not be nostalgic about the good ol' days, because they weren't ill The Rev. Gary Dull, pastor of a Baptist church host, wants the Altoona School District, to post mants in all and a radio talk show a copy of the Ten Com-(AP photo Girls claim doctor examined them against their will BACHELOR OF SCIENCE HUMAN RESOURCES FulHim student status Individual financial planning Accelerated program Class on vnfnf par weak TUIclon payment plus Emphasis on adult learning I State law requires physical examinations for all pupils entering kindergarten and sixth grade. However, U.S. District Judge A.

Richard Caputo decided in a pre-trial ruling that the law says nothing about how the exam should be conducted. In opening statements Tuesday, Vahanvaty's lawyer, George Nace of Allentown, maintained that the physicals "In no way constituted a gynecological examination." But one 15-year-old girl, who was 11 at the time of the exam, said the exam hurt Geneva College PRO CHBtSTO ET PATfllA DEGREE COMPLETION PROGRAM Hiram G. Andrew Canter, 72T Goucher Street, Johnstown, PA 1 590S aht Campus: 3200 College Avanua, Beaver Falls, PA 1 50 10-359 ones she gives her patients at Zahra Pediatrics in East Stroudsburg, where she practices with her father. But an expert witness for the plaintiffs, Philadelphia pediatrician Dr. Fredic P.

Nelson, said Wednesday that Vahanvaty's exam on the girls that, day "deviated from the standard" level of medical care because female genital exams should not be done in school. Examining girls' genitals during the regular school day violates the girls' confidentiality and privacy and exposes them to abuse and ridicule by other students, which could lead to emotional harm, he said. Nelson, a school doctor in the 1980s at the William Perm School District in the suburbs of Philadelphia, said the "vast majority" of school physicians in the state are hot examining girls' genitals in school. On cross-examination, Nelson said he had no problem with boys' having their genitals examined in school He said there were overriding concerns for boys' safety because their external sex organs are subject to injury that might lead to sterility. QreenOals Terson aCGare'jforih, EAST STROUDSBURG, Pa.

(AP) An East Stroudsburg pediatrician has denied that she forced eight girls to undergo gynecological exams in school three years ago. "I said 'If you don't want this part I will write, 'Patient refused'," Dr. Ramlah Vahanvaty said on the ond day of a federal court trial on charges that the victims' rights to. privacy and freedom from unreasonable search were violated. The parents of the girls, who said the exams violated their parental lib-.

erty rights, have also filed a civil suit against the doctor, two school nurses and the East Stroudsburg School District Two girls who attended J.X Lambert Intermediate School testified Tuesday that they were given genital exams against their will. Vahanvaty, testifying in Scranton on Wednesday, was hired by the district to give state-mandated physical examinations. On March 19, 1996, about 60 sixth-grade girls were given physicals that included a genital examination, which she said is standard medical practice. Vahanvaty, who went to medical school in her native Pakistan and then at Children's Hospital in Milwaukee, said the physical she gave the girls was no different from the Just Off Rt. 119 OwnenOorrthynkWi 9 Call I -8 1 4-255-4452 for mora details, to schedule an appointment with an admissions courts (Tor, or to inquire about th data of Information Meetings in your area.

"Mr (one block from Black Lick Shmtz) Large Activity Room Home Cooked Meals Private Semi-Private Rooms wBath Central Air Conditioning Daily Activities Beauty Salon Services Within Walking Distance To Churches, Post Office, Convenience Store Library Short Stays Welcome 724-248-9600 For adults with a minimum of two years transferable college credit and 5-7 years of workplace experience. ChrlttJiiHbvatwtt cotltf fountted In Th collf aundiud by 11 HIM IHWAiimMm ot CoU tn4 Secondary Schook Michael Kennedy of Indiana had three good reasons for choosing On The Area's Largest Selection Of Dr. Marten Shoes Sandals Michael Kennedy of Indiana serves as one of the coaches of his son Michael's Little League baseball team. Kennedy has regained strength and stability in bis right knee after having surgery to rebuild a torn ilgament. to have knee surgery his children.

Kennedy, who works for a local energy company, was walking back up a rocky slope after inspecting a dam when he injured his right knee. 7 took a step and heard a really loud pop," he said In the next weeks, his leg would sometimes buckle as he was walking. Kennedy saw Michael S. Pollock, MD, orthopedic surgeon, who diagnosed the problem as a torn anterior cruciate ligament, one of the stabilizing ligaments of the knee. For active patients, Pollock recommends surgical reconstruction of the ligament.

This involves taking a piece of the patellar tendon, which runs between the kneecap and lower leg bone, to create a new ligament. According to Pollock, this Is a fairly routine procedure. "It is a common injury in sports. Our patients do very well. Most have returned to sports and normal activities without problems, he said.

For Kennedy, the choice was easy. "I didn't want to get to the point where I couldn't run and chase my kids," he said. Kennedy had his surgery at Indiana Hospital and came back to the hospital for 14 weeks of ourpaticnt physical therapy before returning to work. This summer, he is extra busy as a coach for his children's softball and baseball teams. "I'm out walking and running around quite a bit and doing really well," he said.

The stability and flexibility arc good and, compared to my other leg, it's as strong or stronger." Extra Special A I SAVE or. Marui Dr. Marten Grizzly Grizzly SOQ99 WaS ej.SlB 4-Eylt Sh Reg. (120 6-Eyelet Boo' UMTTffiTMOflYVE NOW TlflOUGH AUGUST 2 -LAYAWAYS WELCOME INDIANA HOSPITAL A Subsidiary of Indiana Heailttcare Corporalfon Indiana Mall Westmoreland Mall The Galleria Indiana Certain exclusions may apply. I..