"Is it legal to pray in public schools?"This is the question. The answer of course is, "It depends." Both on what kind of prayer we are talking about, and more importantly, who is doing the praying. Because people are usually talking about organized classroom prayer, we will begin our there.

The Supreme Court has made clear that prayers organized by a public school violate the First Amendment, whether in the classroom, over the p-a system or even at graduation. The same rule applies whether the activity is prayer or reading the bible. Even moments of silence, if used to promote prayer, aren't allowed by the courts. A "neutral" moment of silence that does not encourage prayer over any other quiet, activity is allowed, even though many students choose to use the time for prayer. The bottom line is, the Court has said that it is none of it's business to promote or sponsor religious exercises, especially among young students who are at school as a result of their parents, or being made to be there by the govt. Public schools have the responsibility to protect the thoughts of every student. This includes children of various religious faiths, as well as those of no religious fai

Many states have laws authorizing students to be released periodically for off-campus religious activities during the school day. Such off-campus released time programs have been ruled constitutional by the United States Suprme Court. In an opinion by a researcher by the name of William O. Douglas, "When the state encourages religious instruction or cooperates with religious authorities by adjusting the schedule of public events to accommodate sectarian needs, it follows the best of our traditions."

Some common words found in the essay are:
Supreme Court, School Board, Court Weisman's, Bill Rights, Free Exercise, Louisiana Mississippi, William Douglas, Jesus Christ, Black State's, PUBLIC SCHOOLS, public school, supreme court, rights students, religious instruction, public schools, religious activities, schools prohibit, school required allow, schools restrictions, students student, laws respecting establishment, religious classes, respecting establishment religion, schools prohibit students, speech promoting religion,
Approximate Word count = 2320
Approximate Pages = 9 (250 words per page double spaced)