Is student-initiated organized prayer permitted at public school graduation ceremonies?
A. No. Based upon the Supreme Court’s reasoning in its 1992 graduation prayer case, Lee v. Weisman, student-initiated graduation prayer is also unconstitutional. While one Federal Appeals Court determined that it was permissible to include a student-led graduation prayer which a senior class voted to include, its decision is inconsistent with the Supreme Court’s ruling in Lee, and is also inconsistent with other lower court opinions. In fact, another Federal Appeals Court specifically disagreed with the reasoning that upheld student-initiated graduation prayer and determined that such prayer is unconstitutional. Q. May a valedictorian offer a prayer at a public school graduation ceremony? A. Yes. When valedictorians speak on a topic of their choice at their graduation ceremony, they may speak on a religious topic or offer a prayer. Since the school is in no way promoting or sponsoring this religious activity, it is different from cases where the school organizes or allows the student b
