Who says you can't pray in school?

Question

You cannot have organized prayer I know, but some christains seem to think or want others to think that the supreme court said children can't pray in school at all. If your child wants to pray in school, they have that right. Right?

Answer 1

Of course.

It's another example of Christians choosing to believe that they are persecuted or discriminated against.

Answer 2

The people that say a student cannot pray in school just do not understand the law. Not only is a student not prohibitted from prayer, but a student can be part of an organized prayer. The legal distinction is that a representative of the state, such as a teacher or school janitor, cannot be involved in the organization. A teacher or other school employee can, however, participate in the function as long as he or she is not present as an official representing the government agency for which they are employed.

If a student does organize some kind of prayer event at the school, as long as the school allow any community groups to use its facilities, it is required to allow the student-led prayer group to use them, too. There was a recent Supreme Court case out of New York that found this distinction in the law.

Answer 3

Right. They most certainly can pray in school any time they want, they just don't use it from all the complaints I've heard about not being able to.

In 1963, the Supreme Court ruled that school-led(be it a teacher, principal, whatever) prayers that had been required before each school day to be unconstitutional. This is because not every child that attended public school was a Christian. Maybe most were, but that didn't mean all of them were. To force non-Christian students to recite a prayer to the Christian God(according to my mother, who was an elementary student in Iowa at the time, this prayer in her school was routinely the Lord's Prayer) was a governmental encroachment of their beliefs.

Public schools are a government institution, so for the government to tell these non-Christian students through the school system to pray to a God that they didn't believe in amounted to forcing them to abandon whatever beliefs they had. And that's unconstitutional, hence, it was banned.

But never has it been said that a kid can't pray before class, a test, a meal, or read the Bible in school. Kids can do that any time they want and the school can't stop them. I've heard of incidents where random teachers have TRIED, but were in the wrong and eventually sued. Kids can pray by themselves, so long as it's not interfering with their school work or others' right to their beliefs. Long as it's not discriminatory and favoring one religion over another, it's fair game.

Same arguement goes for prayer before football games. If a kid wants to pray before a game, that's fine, but coaches and announcers can NOT force team members to pray, nor require that those attending the game stand and pray as not everyone in the crowd(even in a small town of 1500 people like my hometown) is a Christian.

Coaches cannot bench a child for not being Christian, nor can teachers fail a child for not being so. Nor can they do the reverse. They have to keep it to themselves and stick to what they're hired for, which is to teach, not proselytize.

Nativity pageants and Christmas carols(at least the religious ones) in school holiday programs are also prohibited, even if the community is largely religious. It's a school, not a church. Leave religion where it belongs and leave the students to sing about Rudolph and Santa.

Commencement speeches are trickier. While superintendents, principals, and other faculty may NOT pray at graduations, nor make overly religious speeches, student speakers(such as a valedictorian) can, whether the school likes it or not. They're a student, not an employee of the school(and thusly the state), and they have beliefs, so they can make religious speeches, although such speeches, again, can't be discriminatory, even if they're religious.

A student speaker may make a speech about how their faith in God helped them get through school, but they cannot make a speech praying that their classmates who partied, were pregnant teens, or gay, etc find God or burn in hell. Acknowledge, but not discriminate.

Kids are quite free to express their faith at school. They can wear religious jewelry(provided that said jewelry is in accordance with dress codes concerning things like size that could be a safety hazard or overt distraction), they can have religious clubs after school(provided that if other religions or atheist groups wish to have clubs, they can as well), they can pray, read the Bible, even share their faith with others if they so choose.

It's just the school that has to stay out of it and not require prayers or faith of any kind as not all students are the same faith. Since kids are all required to attend school, religious or not, to have to go to a public school and recite a prayer to a deity that's not the one the kid worships at home steps on their beliefs and can't be allowed. Schools can teach ABOUT religion, as in what religions exist and what the various religions believe, their gods, etc, but they can't teach that one religion is better or "right" over others. Educate, not indoctrinate.

So contrary to popular belief among religious types, God hasn't been taken out of the schools. Kids can pray as they wish. Schools just can't require them or anyone else to pray. The right is there and always has been, but people apparently don't care to use it.

Answer 4

It never ceases to amaze me at the lack of knowledge shown in here. Has nobody heard of these? ;#1. ACLJ = American Center for Law and Justice; #2. Prayers at the Flag Pole; #3. Public prayer on school property IS PERMITTED by federal law interpretation by the Supreme Court, PROVIDED THAT IT IS STUDENT ORGANIZED AND LED, not promoted or organized by teachers or school officials. But, teacher-led prayers in the classroom, or before athletic games, or at graduation exercises are prohibited. Have a safe, happy Thanksgiving!;-)

Answer 5

Your child is more than welcome to have all of the silent prayer that his little heart wants.

The supreme court did however rule that student initiated group prayer is unacceptable. The law suit concerning this was brought forward by the ACLU on behalf of a Mormon family who's children were being singled out for discrimination for not participating in evangelical christian student led prayer.

By the way it was a catholic family that brought forth the original law suit that resulted in the faculty being banned from having group prayer in schools. They did not feel it was appropriate for (once again) the evangelical christian teachers wasting school learning time teaching religious beliefs through prayer that are contrary to the catholic faith.

What is truly sad is the misinformed religious people blame the atheists for these lawsuits, when it was just a different christian denomination that sued to remove prayer from school.

Answer 6

Who's going to stop someone from silently praying? They can't. There is a right to free speech, but within a school setting, this doesn't mean that talking through a teacher is free speech. It's rude and not allowed.

Generally you can pray wherever you want. It's the institution or the leader or person of authority who is not allowed to suggest it or set aside special time or space for it.

Answer 7

No one, not one person can take away what is inside of you. So, they ban prayer from PUBLIC schools....teach your child to pray in their own 'inner closet' even though it is a hall full of kids eating lunch. Prayers can be said all day long. And, when did you get the idea that the government was for the people, by the people and of the people? It's really for the show, by the powers, coming from powers...

Answer 8

Absolutely! If a child chooses too, he/she can pray in school.

The voice is against " mandatory organized " prayer. Mainly because it would force children of all faiths to pray to a Christian God.

Answer 9

Correct. But it makes for better fund-raising to howl that prayer has been "banned" from school.

sprcpt: "The supreme court did however rule that student initiated prayer is unacceptable."

You're correct. The case was Santa Fe Independent School District v. Jane Doe. The school district in Galveston, Texas, allowed student-initiated and student-led prayer to be broadcast over the public address system before high school football games. The Court ruled that this violated the First Amendment's establishment clause.

"We recognize the important role that public worship plays in many communities, as well as the sincere desire to include public prayer as a part of various occasions so as to mark those occasions' significance," Justice John Paul Stevens wrote for the majority. Even though the students, not school officials, were delivering the prayers, it was decided that it was discriminatory because they were able to deliver only religious messages deemed "appropriate" by the school district, meaning that "minority candidates will never prevail and that their views will be effectively silenced."

The majority held that pre-game prayers delivered "on school property, at school-sponsored events, over the school's public address system, by a speaker representing the student body, under the supervision of school faculty, and pursuant to a school policy that explicitly and implicitly encourages public prayer" are not private, but public speech. "Regardless of the listener's support for, or objection to, the message, an objective Santa Fe High School student will unquestionably perceive the inevitable pregame prayer as stamped with her school's seal of approval."

Answer 10

This is absolutely true. There is no law prohibiting individuals right to pray anywhere they choose. There is however the non-establishment clause which outlines why public schools cannot organize prayer groups.

Answer 11

prayer does not mean you have to close your eyes, get on your knees, fold your hands and scream out prayers. you can pray with your eyes open and hands at your side. all it is is talking with god. do you think that one form of prayer is more effective?

do you know why the folding hands came in and eyes closed? when we are children our attention span is very short, to make it easier for them theyd have you fold your hands and close your eyes, thus keeping you from getting distracted by others, or distracting others.

you can pray whenever you want however you want. no one can stop you. but theres a line between praying and preaching.