What do the Guidelines say regarding student prayer and religious discussion?
The Guidelines address the issue of a student’s right to pray, or generally participate in religious discussion on campus. In a nutshell, students have the right to pray, or have religious discussions, during the school day provided that students do so in a non-disruptive manner. These rights include the right to “persuade, their peers.” [FN6] • The Establishment Clause of the First Amendment does not prohibit purely private religious speech by students. Students therefore have the same right to engage in individual or group prayer and religious discussion during the school day as they do to engage in other comparable activity. For example, students may read their Bibles or other scriptures, say grace before meals, and pray before tests to the same extent they may engage in comparable non-disruptive activities. Local school authorities . . . may not structure or administer such rules to discriminate against religious activity or speech. [FN7] (Emphasis added.) The Guidelines then get e
Related Questions
- Can valedictorians, salutatorians, or honorary student speakers give speeches on religious subjects, including reading from the Bible?
- Is it ever appropriate for a student to lead a prayer at a school function, like graduation?
- What do the Guidelines say regarding student prayer and religious discussion?
