Title: Religion in Public Schools | Lawyers.com
Headings: Religion in Public Schools
Religion in Public Schools
Prayer in School: Personal vs. School-Sponsored
Prayers and Religious Expression by Student Speakers at School Events
School Celebrations of Religious Holidays
Religion in the Classroom and in Homework
No Discrimination Against Religious Literature or Clubs
Speaking With a Lawyer

Content: The distinction between those two requirements isn’t always clear, so courts often end up having to resolve fights about religion in schools. Prayer in School: Personal vs. School-Sponsored
In a series of landmark decisions, the Supreme Court ruled that public school teachers and administrators may not lead, organize, or promote prayer in classrooms or at school functions. Most states responded by passing laws that allow or require teachers to start the school day with a moment of silence. Courts have usually upheld these laws if there was a legitimate secular purpose behind them—like helping students focus and prepare for the day—but not if they were meant to return prayer to the classroom. Schools shouldn't interfere with students' right to pray on their own or with their friends, as long as they aren't disrupting schoolwork or violating other students' rights. At the same time, schools shouldn’t interfere with students’ right to pray on their own or with their friends—at lunch, before or after school, in religious clubs or “see you at the pole” prayer gatherings, or silently in class—as long as they aren’t disrupting schoolwork or violating other students’ rights. The same holds true for other forms of religious expression, including wearing clothing or jewelry meant as a statement of faith. Prayers and Religious Expression by Student Speakers at School Events
When students are speaking at school functions like graduation ceremonies, they may generally include prayers or other expressions of their faith if: they chose to do so on their own
the school had a secular purpose for allowing the students to speak, and
the process of selecting those speakers had nothing to do with what they would say.