Past U.S. Supreme Court rulings have held that schools and school employees must be careful to engage in religious activities while at school that could appear to endorse a particular religion above others or coerce students to engage in religious activities. However, the June 2022 Kennedy v. Bremerton School District opinion suggests that the…

Religion in public schools has long been a controversial issue. The U.S. Supreme Court ruled in 1962 that teachers and administrators cannot lead prayers in public schools, and a decision in 2000 barred school districts from sponsoring student-led prayers at football games. At the same time, the court has held that students retain a First…

This study explores how a group of Caucasian pre-service teachers responded to Muslim immigrant parents' accounts of the marginalization of their faith practices in Canadian public schools. Data were collected through interviews with parents, dialogues between parents and pre-service teachers, online reflections, and focus groups among pre-service…

The presidency of George W. Bush has polarized the church-state debate as never before. The Far Right has been emboldened to use religion to govern, while the Far Left has redoubled its efforts to evict religion from public life entirely. Fewer people on the Right seem to respect the church-state separation, and fewer people on the Left seem to…

Responding to student recitation of the Lord's Prayer at a high school graduation, recounts how religious differences can create difficulties and discomfort for students in public schools. Argues the right of the minority must be protected from a majority who wishes to promote their religious beliefs at taxpayer expense. (DB)

Examines religious freedom, schools, and the First Amendment issue, and discusses the "Three Rs Project," which is designed to help teachers, parents, and community leaders of different faiths set policies on religion in schools, protect students' religious speech, and reform secularized curricula. A consensus of the current law…

Argues that the U.S. Supreme Court has been an active and liberally biased participant in the U.S. culture war. Historical evidence is presented, including areas of tuition tax credit and segregated private schools, abortion and the Right-to-Life movement, and prayer in public schools. The author discusses how the Supreme Court has strengthened…

Filing a lawsuit against a school district often means challenging the core values of a community. Cases discussed include a suit to prevent the broadcasting of morning prayers in school ("Herdahl"), a suit over the singing of a religious song ("Bauchman"), and drug-use testing for student athletes ("Acton"). (MLF)

Outlines current federal Department of Education guidance to public school administrators and teachers on the extent to which religious expression and activities are permitted on school grounds and in the classroom. (ET)

Many of the court decisions in the 1960s and 1970s regarding student civil rights were decided in favor of students. By the 1980s the courts began to give administrators more authority. This change of judicial thinking means that school authorities must be reschooled concerning the rights of students. This booklet should help administrators…

Presents court briefs for three separate constitutional issues: the individual right to die as tested in the "Cruzan v. Missouri Department of Health" case; constitutional rights and drunk driving; and student religious clubs' right to meet at public schools in accordance with the Equal Access Act of 1984. Analyzes court opinions and…