School Prayer Ban: Organized or Individual?

Question

I have milling this subject over in my head for a long time, and there is one subject that will help me make my decision: is individual prayer in public schools allowed if the school is under a prayer ban? If so, why?

Answer 1

There is no rule in the schools preventing individual prayer. If it is silent and not disrupting other activities, no one would have any grounds to object. But if you designate a time for individual prayer, then everybody has to stop what would normally be going on and that would seem to me to be a violation. It is also just a cheap way to get around the rule and people recognize it for that.
Students may pray in school, even aloud, as long as they are not proselytizing or disrupting. I was a teacher for 27 years. I have never seen why some homerooms could not be set up for those who wish to pray in the mornings, to be supervised by teachers who volunteer for that homeroom. Oh, and I am an atheist.
But if you ask me to stand in front of a class and supervise a prayer session, watch out! I'm going on the warpath.

Answer 2

No one can ban prayer in school. That would be illegal.

What they can do is ban the teacher from leading prayer IN CLASS.

People just don't seem to get this.

If there is time, even in class, any child can bow their head and pray, individually.

Outside of class, anyone can pray individually or in a group. But no teacher or other school official can lead prayer. It's to the point now where even coaches can't lead prayer before a game.

Answer 3

I think it is allowed, so long as it's not interfering with anyone else. Most schools get around school-wide prayer bans and the like by having a minute of silence in the announcements to think about the day and the following activities, which gives students time to pray at the beginning of the day.

The only issue my school had a problem with was: prayer before games, concerts, plays, and other school events....and other than that, so long as kids kept to themselves and didn't harass other students it's fine.

Every winter we would put up a large banner that said seasons greetings...and everyone had permission to write or draw a symbol of their religion on the banner (no profanity or anything or the like)...so we'd get a unique banner every year with things like doves, and trees, an menorahs (spelling?), kwanza, upside down crosses, you name it.

I think it helped promote tolerance.

Answer 4

If the student wants to pray on their own time, during lunch, or recess or between classes, that's fine...as long as the prayer is not lead by a school official such as a teacher or a principal.

Students can also pray at the flagpole after or before school. Perfectly legal. As long as the act isn't school sanctioned, and as long as students of varying belief systems are also allowed the same liberties.

Answer 5

The law simply states that there is to be no public lead prayer by school officials. Students are allowed to lead their own time of prayer during free time. In fact, when I was in HS, my friends and I lead a bible study and prayer time during the lunch hour and the school administration was legally bound to provide a place for us to do so.

Personally, as a Christian, I support the ruling that there should be no teacher lead prayer in public school. Since they're funded by all of our taxes, they would be legally bound to allow any person of any faith to lead in prayer and teach their faith. I find teaching my children about faith and prayer to be my job and not anyone Else's.

Answer 6

Individual prayer is allowed, and should be allowed, as long as it doesn't interfere with others. This means that between classes and in the cafeteria, prayer should be allowed, but during class it shouldn't.

Answer 7

Individuals have a constitutional right to practice their religion.

Schools, as they are run by the state, can NOT institutionalize prayer and make it a school-endorsed activity.

Answer 8

Freedom of religion allows anyone to pray as they wish, they simply cannot force others to do the same and must do it in a manner and setting appropriate with the school's rules (such as not organized during class instruction)

Answer 9

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Answer 10

I feel that if you want to pray, then pray. You don't need to tell people you're praying, just take a moment of silence and do your thing. I grew up going to Catholic elementary and I felt kinda weird the first day of regular high school.