tumbleweed41
Resident Liberal Hippie
The following is advice from the National PTA and The First Amendment Center.
I am providing this because last night my daughter told me she heard students could be expelled for bringing a Bible to school.
I told her I would be among the first to file a lawsuit if that happened to one of my children.
When I asked where she heard this, she told me she heard it from a Youth Director at a friends church.
May students express their faith while in school?
Yes. Schools should respect the right of students to engage in religious activity
and discussion.
Generally, individual students are free to pray, read their scriptures, discuss their
faith and invite others to join their particular religious group. Only if a students
behavior is disruptive or coercive should it be prohibited. No student should be
allowed to harass or pressure others in a public school setting.
If it is relevant to the subject under consideration and meets the requirements of
the assignment, students also have the right to express their religious views during a
class discussion or as part of a written assignment or art activity.
May students pray together in public schools?
Yes. Students are free to pray alone or in
groups, as long as the activity is not disruptive
and does not infringe upon the rights of others.
These activities must be truly voluntary and
student-initiated. For example, students are
permitted to gather around the flagpole for
prayer before school begins, as long as the event
is not sponsored by the school and other
students are not pressured to attend. Students
do not have a right to force a captive
Does this mean that students may offer prayers at graduation ceremonies?
Not necessarily. Lower courts are divided about whether a student may offer prayers at
graduation exercises. Parents should seek legal advice about what rules apply in their state.
Some schools create a free-speech forum at school-sponsored events, during which
time students are free to express themselves religiously or otherwise. Such a forum,
however, would have to be open to all kinds of speech, including speech critical of
religion or the school.
Is it constitutional to teach about religion in public schools?
Yes. The Supreme Court has indicated many times
that teaching about religion, as distinguished from
religious indoctrination, is an important part of a
complete education. The public schools approach
to religion in the curriculum must be academic,
not devotional.
Study about religion belongs in the curriculum
wherever it naturally arises. On the secondary
level, the social studies, literature and the arts offer
many opportunities for the inclusion of
information about religionstheir ideas and
practices. On the elementary level, natural opportunities arise in discussions of the
family and community life and in instruction about festivals and different cultures.
Religion may also be studied in special courses. Some secondary schools, for
example, offer electives in World Religions, Bible as/in Literature, and Religion
in America.
May students form religious clubs in public schools?
Under the federal Equal Access Act,3 secondary public schools receiving federal funds
must allow students to form religious clubs if the school allows other noncurriculumrelated
clubs to meet during noninstructional time. Noncurriculum-related means
any club not directly related to the courses offered by the school. Student religious
clubs may have access to school facilities and media on the same basis as other
noncurriculum-related student clubs.
The Equal Access Act protects the rights of students to form religious clubs. Outside
adults may not direct or regularly attend meetings of such clubs. Teachers may be present
at religious club meetings as monitors, but they may not participate in club activities.
Public schools are free to prohibit any club activities that are illegal or that would cause
substantial disruption of the school.
May students wear religious garb and display religious symbols in public schools?
Yes. Students who must wear religious garb such as head scarves or yarmulkes should be
permitted to do so in school. Students may also display religious messages on clothing
to the same extent that other messages are permitted.
May students distribute religious literature in the schools?
Generally, students have a right to distribute religious literature on public school
campuses subject to reasonable time, place and manner restrictions imposed by the
school. This means that the school may specify at what times the distribution may
occur (e.g., lunch hour or before or after classes begin), where it may occur (e.g.,
outside the school office) and how it may occur (e.g., from fixed locations as opposed
to roving distribution). These restrictions should be reasonable and must apply evenly
to all non-school student literature.
Public schools may prohibit the distribution of some literature altogether. Some
examples would be materials that are obscene, defamatory or disruptive of the
educational environment.
(PDF of entire Document)
I am providing this because last night my daughter told me she heard students could be expelled for bringing a Bible to school.
I told her I would be among the first to file a lawsuit if that happened to one of my children.
When I asked where she heard this, she told me she heard it from a Youth Director at a friends church.
May students express their faith while in school?
Yes. Schools should respect the right of students to engage in religious activity
and discussion.
Generally, individual students are free to pray, read their scriptures, discuss their
faith and invite others to join their particular religious group. Only if a students
behavior is disruptive or coercive should it be prohibited. No student should be
allowed to harass or pressure others in a public school setting.
If it is relevant to the subject under consideration and meets the requirements of
the assignment, students also have the right to express their religious views during a
class discussion or as part of a written assignment or art activity.
May students pray together in public schools?
Yes. Students are free to pray alone or in
groups, as long as the activity is not disruptive
and does not infringe upon the rights of others.
These activities must be truly voluntary and
student-initiated. For example, students are
permitted to gather around the flagpole for
prayer before school begins, as long as the event
is not sponsored by the school and other
students are not pressured to attend. Students
do not have a right to force a captive
Does this mean that students may offer prayers at graduation ceremonies?
Not necessarily. Lower courts are divided about whether a student may offer prayers at
graduation exercises. Parents should seek legal advice about what rules apply in their state.
Some schools create a free-speech forum at school-sponsored events, during which
time students are free to express themselves religiously or otherwise. Such a forum,
however, would have to be open to all kinds of speech, including speech critical of
religion or the school.
Is it constitutional to teach about religion in public schools?
Yes. The Supreme Court has indicated many times
that teaching about religion, as distinguished from
religious indoctrination, is an important part of a
complete education. The public schools approach
to religion in the curriculum must be academic,
not devotional.
Study about religion belongs in the curriculum
wherever it naturally arises. On the secondary
level, the social studies, literature and the arts offer
many opportunities for the inclusion of
information about religionstheir ideas and
practices. On the elementary level, natural opportunities arise in discussions of the
family and community life and in instruction about festivals and different cultures.
Religion may also be studied in special courses. Some secondary schools, for
example, offer electives in World Religions, Bible as/in Literature, and Religion
in America.
May students form religious clubs in public schools?
Under the federal Equal Access Act,3 secondary public schools receiving federal funds
must allow students to form religious clubs if the school allows other noncurriculumrelated
clubs to meet during noninstructional time. Noncurriculum-related means
any club not directly related to the courses offered by the school. Student religious
clubs may have access to school facilities and media on the same basis as other
noncurriculum-related student clubs.
The Equal Access Act protects the rights of students to form religious clubs. Outside
adults may not direct or regularly attend meetings of such clubs. Teachers may be present
at religious club meetings as monitors, but they may not participate in club activities.
Public schools are free to prohibit any club activities that are illegal or that would cause
substantial disruption of the school.
May students wear religious garb and display religious symbols in public schools?
Yes. Students who must wear religious garb such as head scarves or yarmulkes should be
permitted to do so in school. Students may also display religious messages on clothing
to the same extent that other messages are permitted.
May students distribute religious literature in the schools?
Generally, students have a right to distribute religious literature on public school
campuses subject to reasonable time, place and manner restrictions imposed by the
school. This means that the school may specify at what times the distribution may
occur (e.g., lunch hour or before or after classes begin), where it may occur (e.g.,
outside the school office) and how it may occur (e.g., from fixed locations as opposed
to roving distribution). These restrictions should be reasonable and must apply evenly
to all non-school student literature.
Public schools may prohibit the distribution of some literature altogether. Some
examples would be materials that are obscene, defamatory or disruptive of the
educational environment.
(PDF of entire Document)
