Controversy: The Role Of Prayer In Public Schools

In 1963, a court case changed the role of the public school and it’s affects on the Constitutional rights of students. Prayer in public schools is an extremely controversial subject ever since Engel v. Vitale that decided that no establishment of public education could instruct, guide, or encourage any religion. The controversy mainly lies between the question of Constitutionality regarding the rights of citizens to practice religion how they wish, or to do the opposite. Other aspects of the debate include the intrusion of the government in regulating any form of regulation in violation of these previously mentioned Constitutional rights. Student prayer should only be permissible within the public school setting under the pretenses that it is entirely voluntary and student initiated. Prayer in public schools that does not follow these guidelines is violating the constitutional rights of students, is against the separation of church and …show more content…
As written in the U.S. Constitution, every American citizen has the right to freedom of religion. With this being said, the government is not to regulate what religion a person does or does not practice. For any sector of public education to promote religion or student involvement with religion infringes on that first amendment right. According to Lemon v. Kutzman, government entities only serve constitutional when their actions serve a non-religious purpose or do not promote or favor any set of religious beliefs(aclu). This proves that anything concerning religion that is demonstrated by a public school is deemed unconstitutional because public schools are run by the government. In regards to the 1992 Supreme Court case