Title: Details on State Prayer in Public School Laws - FindLaw
Headings: Details on State Prayer in Public School Laws
Details on State Prayer in Public School Laws
School Prayer: A Divisive Issue
The Federal Ban on School-Sponsored Prayer
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State School Prayer Laws
Religion Used in an Academic Context

Content: and does not subject other students to peer pressure. The case for reintroducing school-sponsored prayer has only weakened as the nation continues to become more diverse in general. This article explores state laws and federal precedent regarding prayer in public schools. See FindLaw's Religion at School section to learn more. The Federal Ban on School-Sponsored Prayer
Prior to the Court's ruling ( Engel v. Vitale ), it was not unusual for public schools to lead students in a Christian prayer at the start of the school day. But this didn't sit well with a group of predominantly Jewish families in Hyde Park, New York who believed the prayer violated their children's constitutional rights. The U.S. Supreme Court agreed, ruling 8-1 ( Engel v. Vitale, 1962) that school-sponsored prayer violated the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution. In reaching its decision, the Court cited the Establishment Clause of the First Amendment, which protects citizens from governmental establishment of an official religion. Since public schools are government institutions, a school-led prayer violates this principle. And even though the prayer at the center of the Engel case only made reference to a vague "Almighty God," the Court held that it still promoted a group of monotheistic religions and thus violated the Constitution.