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Private prayer in school is allowed under the First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution. Institutional prayer is forbidden under the same amendment--freedom of religion is to be respected, and there should be no governmental establishment of religion.
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What amendment banned prayer from the school?
The First Amendment Establishment Clause has been used to ban organized prayer in public schools.
Is it legal to have school prayer?
No. Not in public school at least.
Who banned prayer from school functions?
Justice John Paul StevensResponse:Nonsense.Justice Stevens didn't ban prayer in school; the US Supreme Court took that action in Engel v. Vitale, 370 U.S. 421 (1962), before Stevens joined the Court in 1975. Justice Hugo Black wrote the opinion in that case. Justice Black didn't make the decision alone; the landmark decision was settled 6-1(Justices Felix Frankfurter and Byron White didn't participate).The Supreme Court heard a similar case, Wallace v. Jaffree, 472 US 38 (1985), in which Alabama law permitted public school teachers to lead prayer sessions and teach religion during the school day. In a 6-3 decision, the Court determined the state law was unconstitutional under the First Amendment Establishment Clause. Justice Stevens wrote the majority opinion in Jaffree, but was only one of the six who voted to overturn the Alabama law.Justice Stevens also wrote the opinion of the Court for Santa Fe Independent School District v. Doe, 530 US 290 (2000) when the Supreme Court voted 6-3 that the school district could not permit a student to broadcast a pre-game prayer to a captive audience at home football games. Stevens was joined in his opinion by conservative Justices Anthony Kennedy and Sandra Day O'Connor.The reason the Court disallows organized prayer in public school is that it violates the Establishment Clause of the First Amendment, which holds the government cannot promote religion. Because schools receive federal funds, they must also uphold the Establishment Clause. Private schools that do not receive money from the US government are under no such restriction and can conduct prayer without fear of intervention.For more information about the Supreme Court's position on prayer in public schools, see Related Questions, below.
Do you agree to have prayer in school?
No. My opinion is that prayer should not be part of our schools. I raised 5 children through the public school system and I believe religion should be kept in the church or in the privacy of your home.
What branch of the government would propose a school prayer Amendment?
The government of the United States is broken into three branches. The one that would propose and pass an Amendment on school prayer is the legislative branch or Congress.
