The United States Supreme Court in Kennedy v. Bremerton Sch. Dist. held that a local school district violated the First Amendment freedom of religious expression rights when it directed an assistant football coach to stop praying on the fifty-yard line of a high school football field after each game. In finding for the high-school football coach,…

The Knox and Bown decisions, involving school personnel's defiance of school prayer/moment-of-silence directives, strongly suggest that principals and their faculty members avoid taking the law into their own hands. Although an up-to-date knowledge of school law is prudent, job security requires educators to follow the advice of those legally…

Public school leaders often find themselves caught between groups with passionately held--but widely varying--views regarding the appropriate role for religion in public schools. Tensions are heightened by the growth of well-funded special interest groups inclined to litigate anywhere a test case arises. By reviewing the most recent judicial…

Although major cases involving religion in public schools were decided decades ago, disputes still arise over interpreting the First Amendment's establishment clause. Formally inviting clergy to pray at high school graduation ceremonies is clearly not permissible, but the law is unsettled regarding student-initiated and student-led nonsectarian…

Religious activity in public schools has become a major issue, thanks to the Equal Access Act and "Lamb's Chapel," but neither has eliminated the Establishment Clause as a feasible concern for school officials. Protecting student religious expression to the same extent as other forms of free speech raises legitimate concerns regarding…