May high school students present a self-initiated invocation or benediction at graduation?
Short answer: Federal courts that have considered this issue have reached different conclusions. It therefore depends on what court’s jurisdiction the school falls under. Example: A student at a high school in Pennsylvania chosen to deliver a speech at graduation may not call on those attending to join her in prayer. A student in Texas may. Explanation: The U.S. Supreme Court has yet to determine whether student-initiated and student-delivered invocations at graduation ceremonies violate the First Amendment’s Establishment Clause. The Court has concluded that a clergyman’s benediction at a public school graduation is unconstitutional.29 However, in the wake of this ruling, several school districts enacted policies that delegated to students the decision-making authority over the content of graduation addresses. It is not clear whether these policies effectively circumvent the Supreme Court’s ruling regarding prayer at graduation ceremonies, since the prayer in question is not clergy-le
