School Prayer
Does it violate the separation of church and state?
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Prayer in public schools is a contentious issue, and one which seems to arouse the most anger and the most passion among people on both sides of the table. Can kids pray in school? Should kids pray in school? What role can or should schools have when it comes to prayers? Is a "moment of silence" permitted or not?
Graduation Prayers: Introduction
To what extent, if any, may the government allow prayers at the graduation ceremonies of public schools? The answer is simple, although difficult to apply in practice: if the government has any say or controlling function over the words being said, then prayer and evangelism may not be a part of those words.School Prayer: Chronology
A time line of important events, legislation and court decision on the issue of prayer in public schools.
School Prayer Myths
An atheist, Madalyn Murray O'Hair, removed God, the Bible and prayer from public schools
School-sponsored prayer and Bible reading took place in all public schools before 1962
Students should be allowed to pray in school
After prayer was removed from schools, performance has declined and social problems have increased.
Important School Prayer Cases
-->Engel v. Vitale (1962)
The Supreme Court ruled 7 to 1 that it was unconstitutional for a government agency like a school or government agents like public school employees to require students to recite prayers.Abington Township School District v. Schempp (1963)
The Supreme Court ruled 8-1 against of allowing the reciting of the Bible verses and the Lord's Prayer.Wallace v. Jaffree (1985)
The Supreme Court found that an Alabma law requiring that each school day begin with a one minute period of "silent meditation or voluntary prayer" was unconstitional.Lee v. Weisman (1992)
On June 24th 1992, the Supreme Court ruled in a 5-4 Court Decision that the graduation prayer during school graduation violated the Establishment Clause.Jones v. Clear Creek (1992)
The Fifth Circuit Court ruled that it was not unconstitutional for a school to allow graduating seniors to vote on whether or not there would prayers during graduation ceremonies.ACLU v. Black Horse Regional Board of Ed. (1995)
Third Circuit Court opinion that a school could not allow students to vote on whether or not they would have a student-lead prayer during graduation because the degree of state involvement in the ceremonies meant that any aspect of it was state-approved, including the prayer and prayer content.Cole v. Oroville Union High School (1999)
Ninth Circuit Court ruling that extremely sectarian and proselytizing speeches at a graduation ceremony could be prohibited because of the reasonable impression that the religious message was supported by the school. The Supreme Court let this stand.Santa Fe School District v. Doe (2000)
The Supreme Court ruled that official, student-led prayers before a school football game violated the separation of church and state.
