Prayer at Public School Events

Prayer at Public School Events

During the last few years there has been passionate debates concerning prayer in public schools and at public school events. Advocates believe that it is not only a moral issue but prohibition of prayer in public schools denies their right of freedom of religion, while opponents claim it is a violation of separation of state and church.

In fact, over recent decades, one of the most litigious areas of the First Amendment has been religion (Prayer pp). The United States Supreme Court has ruled in more than twenty cases concerning prayer, religion in schools, public access for religious purposes, and the observance of religious holidays in public places, to name but a few (Prayer pp).

In Engel v. Vitale, 1962, the United States Supreme Court held with Engel and ruled that the state could not require the recitation of a formal prayer in public schools (Prayer pp). Steven Engel had objected to his child being required to recite a prayer and contended that the state law was unconstitutional (Prayer pp). Justice Hugo Black stated that the government should never use its power "to control, support, or influence the kinds of prayer the American people can say" (Prayer pp). In 1985, the Supreme Court extended its decision in Engel to overturn the state-required daily public school reading of ten verses from the Bible in Pennsylvania and the daily Bible reading and Lord's Prayer in Maryland (Prayer pp). That same year the Court also struck down an Alabama law that required silent prayer in schools (Prayer pp).

In Lee v. Weisman, 1992, prayer at graduation ceremonies came under attack (Prayer pp). The U.S. Supreme Court held that a prayer at public school graduation violate the establishment clause of the First Amendment, stating "The First Amendment's religion clauses mean that religious beliefs and religious expression are too precious to be either proscribed or prescribed by the state" (Prayer pp). In 2000, the Court ruled in Santa Fe Independent School District v. Jane Doe, struck down the school district's policy regarding prayer at athletic events, stating "... The Constitution demands that schools not force on students the difficult choice between whether to attend these games or to risk facing a personally offensive religious ritual" (Prayer pp).

In the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001, the Bush administration addressed the issue of school prayer and amended the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 to require school administrators to comply with constitutional protections of prayer in public schools (Religion pp). The Act requires that each school certify in writing to its state educational agency that it is in compliance with the guidelines on school prayer in order to receive federal education funds (Religion pp). Opponents of the new guidelines claim that the Federal courts have been split over the legality of "some religious activities in public schools, such as the so-called 'student-initiated prayer' at public school events ... Yet these guidelines flatly state that such activities are legal" (Religion pp)

Regarding the 2000 Santa Fe case, Kelly Shackleford, attorney for the school district said, "This is the first case in the history of the country that the courts will censor or gag religious expression of a private citizen" (Babineck pp).

However, some prayers and religious activities are still allowed in public schools,

Individual students are free to pray, as the court said,

"at any time before, during or after the schoolday" as long as their prayers do not interfere with other students.

Groups of students can meet for prayer or worship, either informally or as a formal school organization as long as other student clubs are allowed at school.

All students are allowed to pray before eating a school meal, as long as their prayers are not disruptive.

In some states, lower court rulings allow student-led prayers - invocations and benedictions - at graduation ceremonies (Babineck pp).

Many feel that America's moral decline has rapidly accelerated since the 1962 Court ruling that removed prayer from the nation's schools (Bergel pp). Most feel that students are being "forbidden to do what their predecessors had been doing since the founding of our nation -- publicly calling upon the name of the Lord at the beginning of each school day" (Bergel pp). For Christians and other religious groups, prayer is an important part of their faith, as Christ said, "For where two or more are gathered in my name there I am in the midst of them" (Matthew 18:20).