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,…

Survival for public school teachers goes beyond curriculum design, discipline and other skills. School law is critical for teachers to face the areas of challenge that are currently present. There are two types of common legal mistakes made by teachers: a) failing to take disciplinary action when they should, and b) unintentionally violating…

In this article, the author reports that under the No Child Left Behind Act, schools must submit a written statement to the state department of education by October 1 each year saying that they won't prevent students from saying constitutionally allowed prayers. The author also reports on rampant student absences faced by some district schools…

The U.S. Supreme Court, the Congress, state legislatures, and city councils can ask for divine guidance, but public schools are denied this advantage. The First Amendment was designed to protect religious minorities from oppression by a religious majority, not to protect people from religion. Tapping into a higher power would civilize, not…

Jerry Cammarata's poignant article provides a valuable opportunity to discuss the Supreme Court's wisdom in prohibiting nondenominational prayer in public schools in 1962 ("Engel v. Vitale") and to review current case law. The Constitution permits prayer chosen and spoken privately by a student, supported by family, friends, and clergy.…

In a June 2000 decision, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that a southern Texas district's policy authorizing student-led and student-initiated prayer at football games violates the Establishment Clause. The Court viewed this policy as having a sham secular purpose and a primary effect of endorsing religion. (MLH)

The Ninth Circuit Court's decision upholding the Madison School District's policy allowing students to speak (and pray) at graduation ceremonies is correct. So long as students are selected by religiously neutral criteria (class rank) and can speak on any topic, the Free Speech Clause should protect that student's expression. (MLH)

A number of recent studies represent a growing consensus among many religious and educational groups about the constitutional and educational role of religion in the public schools. This pamphlet is designed to build on these agreements and to encourage communities to find common ground when they are divided. The pamphlet presents 15 questions and…

Student prayer at school events, such as football games and graduation ceremonies, has spawned several contradictory circuit court decisions. A 2000 Supreme Court ruling against pregame prayer ("Santa Fe Independent School District v. Doe") reversed an 11th Circuit Court decision, with far-reaching effects on all student-initiated and…

In a Texas case, the U.S. Supreme Court recently affirmed that a policy allowing student-led, student-initiated prayer at high-school football games violated the Establishment Clause. Whatever districts do, school business officials and others responsible for safeguarding resources should pay attention to the school-prayer issue. (MLH)

Intended to make the First Amendment relevant to young people by addressing issues that speak directly to their lives, this guide assists teachers in using "Talk about Freedom," a series of eight educational print advertisements (ads) for teenagers, in the classroom. The eight print ads presented in the guide address: (1) censorship of…

Describes the Supreme Court graduation-prayer decision in "Lee v. Weisman" (1992) and implications of the "Jones v. Clear Creek Independent School District" case, which the Court decided not to review in 1993. Discusses the New Jersey graduation-prayer experiment and ruling of third District Circuit Court Judge Theodore A.…

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…

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…

Beyond no-establishment and free-exercise principles, widespread agreement now exists on many thorny church-state questions: school prayer, teaching about religion, Bible clubs, equal access, excusals, distribution of religious literature, religious holidays, creationism, released time, and character education. One issue, speaker versus audience…