Do students have the right to express religious viewpoints in school assignments, reading materials, and clothing?
Yes. The Supreme Court has held that the Constitution “affirmatively mandates accommodation, not merely tolerance, of all religions, and forbids hostility toward any.”1 First Amendment rights of free expression accompany each student throughout the school day both inside and outside the classroom.2 School officials must permit students to convey religious sentiments through their school assignments,3 selection of reading materials, and clothing that conveys a religious message through words or symbols. For example, if an assignment charges the student with writing an essay on the most influential person in their lives that student is free to write an essay on the influence of Jesus Christ. Footnotes 1Lynch, 465 U.S. at 673. 2Tinker, 393 U.S. at 512–513. 3Compare Tinker, 393 U.S. at 512–13, with Hazelwood Sch. Dist. v. Kuhlmeier, 484 U.S. 260, 273 (1988) (holding that educators do not offend the First Amendment by exercising editorial control over the style and content of student speech
