Beruflich Dokumente
Kultur Dokumente
Kayla G. Clarke
JOMC 393
The First Amendment, along with the other nine amendments, were ratified on September
25, 1789. On December 15, 1971, the first ten amendments were officially adopted. The First
prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the
right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of
grievances.”
free exercise thereof”. Coming from the First Amendment, this quote states that Congress
respects no religion that’s established. This one statement brings in a lot of questions because the
First Amendment discusses the freedom of speech, freedom of press, and the freedom of
religion. So why is prayer and Bible reading prohibit from the public-school system?
Religion started all the way in England and made its way to the United States when the European
settlers came to exercise their religion beliefs freely. In most public schools in the early days,
classes started with a biblical recitation. “For example, the New England Primer had a solemn
prayer to be recited every day, which states, “Oh Lord God, I beseech thee, of thy fatherly
goodness and mercy to pardon all my offenses which in though, word, or deed, I have this day
committed against thee and thy holy law” (The New England Primer, 1805).
Before the 1960s, religion was a huge thing in the public-school system. However, in one
In 1962, Engel v. Vitale was a huge landmark in American history because it removed
prayer from the public-school system. “On June 25, 1962, the United States Supreme Court
decided in Engel v. Vitale that a prayer approved by the New York Board of Regents for use in
schools violated the First Amendment because it represented establishment of religion. In 1963,
Religion in Schools 3
in Abington School District v. Schempp, the court decided against Bible readings in public
Along with the dismissal of prayer and biblical recitation from the public-school system,
teachers and other personnel were not allowed to do the following: promoting a certain religion
over another, do certain things to make one religion better than another, and being antagonistic to
religion in general. With so many laws in place, religion still somehow creeps back into the
public-school system.
In the case Stone v. Graham, they ruled that the use of the Bible will be constitutionally
when it is appropriately studied for history, civilization, and ethics etc. “Schools may teach about
religion, explain the tenets of various faiths, discuss the role of religion in history, literature,
science and other endeavors, and the like, as long as it has a secular purpose to promote
educational goals, and there is no effort to promote or inhibit any religious belief.” (NCAC)
There have been many cases that have pointed out many restrictions in religion in schools
as well.
Stated in the first cases against prayer and bible reading, these two are excluded from the
public-school system. In the case Wallace v. Jaffree, an Alabama law permitted teachers to
conduct prayer in the classroom during the school day. Three children out of the class reported
back to their parents about the religious practice in school. Jaffree reported that him and his
children were ripped of their constitutional rights. The court agreed that Jaffree’s right had been
violated. (4LawSchool, 2012). The reason Jaffree won this case is because it was religiously
That is another key point as to why religion is not in the public school. There are so many
different religions and how they pray, or worship is different in every religion.
America is best known for diversity in language, race, and religion. In the United States
alone, there are over 300 religions. Some religions may not worship or believe that Sunday is the
day of rest, but it may be another day out of the week. Other religious groups practiced in
American can be Methodist, Lutheran, Islam, Catholic, and so many more. Each one is different
in everywhere.
America was based off of Christianity which is why Bible reading and prayer was
involved so much into the school system. However, the more and more United States grows, the
more culture and religions come over to America as well. That is a very important reason why
religion was banded from the public-school system because it wouldn’t be fair to encourage one
Student led prayer at sporting events like football games and basketball games is also
unconstitutional because it can come across as an endorsement for a certain religion. In the case
Santa Fe School District v. Jane Doe, the graduating students wanted to vote on having prayer
during the invocation. Unfortunately, months later the Dist passed a law stating that was no
longer allowed. Although this seems different, the government sees it the same under the first
amendment. “While the case leaves open the possibility that student-initiated prayer is
permissible under some circumstances, it is clear that schools must exercise care to avoid the
appearance of promoting religion.” (NCAC) This was just unusual case out of the many, but one
other case involving a first grader not allowed to read The Beginner’s Bible for a class
assignment. It’s very interesting when religion is allowed in public school and when it isn’t.
Religion in Schools 5
Religious holidays have not been such a big issue in the public-school system. Christmas,
Good Friday, and many more days are recognized with no school or early dismissal. Although
these holidays are talked about in class, teachers are not allowed to observe these holidays as
religious events.
Along with having no classes on these certain holidays, other religion holidays
unfortunately are not recognized. Jewish or Islamic holidays are not celebrated in school. Along
with the Jewish holidays, the students can miss class, but students would have to go through
certain obligations.
“The Anti-Defamation League (ADL) firmly believes that to create welcoming and
respectful school and workplace environments, diligent efforts should be made to accommodate
observance of the High Holidays and other religious practices with school or work
responsibilities in a meaningful way.” (ADL) Although certain religions are recognized in the
Schools are also not allowed to display messages in the school hallways or the school
classrooms. The case, Stone v. Graham was a case in 1980. The court was important and
significant because the school officials posted the Ten Commandments on a wall in the school.
This act violated the First Amendment in which the display had to be taken down. “The Supreme
Court held that the Kentucky statute violated the first part of the so-called Lemon test. The court
rejected arguments that the notation on the bottom of the Ten Commandments was sufficient to
indicate the secular purpose of the posting. Moreover, the court was of the opinion that the
posting of the Ten Commandments was clearly religious and not educational.”
Religion in Schools 6
All of these situations have been issues in the public-school system. However, one may
ask why private schools still have prayer and bible reading in their schools. Private schools were
built on Christianity. That is their foundation so prohibiting prayer and bible reading out of
private schools is out of the question. Some parents choose to send their child to private school
just so they can build a strong moral background. “Most religious schools get students enrolled
based on their parents’ religion. Children will not necessarily follow the same religious path of
their parents; however, many parents choose this for their children because they want to build a
strong moral background.” (Curen, 2017) Altogether, if parents want their children to obtain a
There are many rules and laws that encompass religion in schools. Praying privately over
lunch or just in general is okay; however, publicly it is now okay because of course the First
Citations
Rosenblith, S. (2017, June 20). Religion in Schools in the United States. Retrieved from
http://education.oxfordre.com/view/10.1093/acrefore/9780190264093.001.0001/acrefore-
9780190264093-e-46
Starr, P. (2014, August 15). Education Expert: Removing Bible, Prayer from Public Schools Has
starr/education-expert-removing-bible-prayer-public-schools-has-caused-decline
NCAC. (n.d.). The First Amendment in Schools: Resource Guide: Religious Expression in the
resource-guide-religious-expression-in-the-public-schools
4LawSchool. (2012). Wallace v. Jaffree Case Brief. Retrieved May 9, 2018, from
http://www.4lawschool.com/case-briefs/wallace-v-jaffree/
ADL. (n.d.). School & Workplace Accommodations for the Jewish High Holidays. Retrieved
workplace-accommodations-for-jewish-high-holidays
Curen, J. V. (2017, December 14). Religious Vs. Non-religious Education in Private Schools.
schools/