Religion in Public Schools
The question "Should prayer be allowed in public schools" is one of the biggest debates in the minds and lips of Americans today. The open practice of religion in publicly funded schools is not a new debate, nor a simple one. Americans have been fighting about the separation of church and state issue longer than there have been Americans. These arguments have played out everywhere from the local football field to the halls of The United States Supreme Court. I believe that prayer and other forms of religious practice are best left at home and church under the guidance of parents and priests. I think this will prevent all of the problems that are associated with a non-secular approach to public education before they occur. I also believe that the Constitution of the United States has already provided it's citizens with enough civil liberties in this area already.One cannot begin to support or contradict an opinion without first learning the background information and history of the issue. As James Fraser, Professor of History and Education Director of the Center for Innovation in Urban Education at Northwestern University, put it: God's place within the public schools of the United States ha
The Supreme Court has made it clear that prayers organized or sponsored by a public school violate the First Amendment, whether in the classroom, over the public-address system or even at a graduation exercise. The same rule applies whether the activity is prayer or devotional Bible reading. Even moments of silence, if used to promote prayer, will be struck down by the courts. (1) The main problem of religion and education is that no one can please all of the people all of the time. Many school districts have tried to appease students and parents alike by allowing their students to lead prayers at school events. This, like most other strategies have resulted in litigation. According to Oliver Thomas: The theory that American publicly funded schools are ran with today is the secular approach. The Supreme Court has made it very clear what is allowed and not allowed. Activities that are allowed are any activities that do not involve paid personnel of the school or any form of clergy. Care must also be taken to not offend or disrupt other students. Therefore, teachers are not allowed to read prayers, nor are student allowed to lead a prayer at an event that is not strictly conducted for the propose of worship, such as a club meeting of a student Christian organization. A more modern dilemma includes cases that involve graduation prayer. For example, the nineteen ninety-two case of Lee v. Weisman. This was a case that involved a prayer that a pastor had read aloud to a group of seniors at graduation. The most incriminating facts were that the school chose the pastor, outlined the contents of what the prayer should be, constructed the program, and initiated the invocation. The prayer was ruled unconstitutional by the Supreme Court. According to Oliver Thomas: A point I also want to bring to the light is that the fact that the majority does not always rule. For example, if a senior class of a public high school has voted and decided that they want a prayer to be read aloud at their graduation ceremonies, they still can not do it. According to Steven Shapiro, Legal Director of the American Civil Liberties Union, "The fact that a majority of students may want the school district to permit graduation prayer, it would be [as] if a majority of students asked the school district to violate the First Amendment by engaging in censorship". This means that although a group of people may be able to override the minority in a vote, they can not take away the rights guaranteed by The Constitution. The Constitution is very clear in saying that the majority vote is no substitution for God-given rights. The Supreme Court, as interpreters of the constitution, must up hold this view and protect individual's rights. Otherwise, there would be rampant disregard for The Constitution and none our rights would be safe. In summary, religion has always been there, right at the surface of the public school system and has been a source of morality for America's children. An approach that allows a faculty member to initiate the time for worship somewhat is the "silent moment" method. This approach has taken a strong foothold in America today. It seems to be the great compromise in the struggle. It involves a silent moment that allows for whatever the stud
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Approximate Word count = 2216
Approximate Pages = 9 (250 words per page double spaced)
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