Religion in schools has always fascinated me as a topic of
discussion. I love to look at court cases to understand how the Supreme Court
and many lower courts have interpreted what the founding fathers meant when
they crafted those words that are found in the 1st amendment of the
United States constitution.
Congress shall make no law respecting an
establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or
abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people
peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of
grievances.
As a society we are still struggling with what actually
falls under the first amendment. Too often we invoke our first amendment rights
but do not actually know what that means to us and our society. But more
closely, as educators, we have to look to see what this means for us in the
classroom and for our students. What are their first amendment rights? Where do
they begin and end in the school? And more specifically, what are their first
amendment rights in terms of religion?
In Religion, Education
and the First Amendment, John J. Coughlin writes that “the framers never
intended the Constitution to defile the religious understanding of the human
person that prevailed in U.S. education.” (Coughlin, 12) Horace Mann, the founder
of public education in our country believed that our system was founded on the
basis of religious practices. (Coughlin, 12) However, it has been over 200
years since the congress of 1789 wrote those words. What do they mean to us
today?
For the past 70 years or so, the Supreme Court has been
trying to answer that question. In Abington
School District v. Shempp and Engle
v. Vitale, the Supreme Court “outlined the constitutional standard for prohibiting
school-sponsored religious expression, a doctrine the court has firmly
maintained.” (Lupu, Masci, and Tuttle, 156) In terms of Curriculum decisions,
school districts continue to lose the fight over curriculum changes, especially
involving evolution, one of the most controversial topics in this debate. (p. 157)
Schools can only use the bible if it is used as literature and not devotional
(p. 158) all holiday music must have had secular consideration. (p. 158)
The students gain more rights when it comes to right of
students to express their religious beliefs. In Tinker v. Des Moines School District, the court ruled that “school
authorities may not suppress expression by students unless expression significantly
disrupts school discipline or invades the rights of others.” (p. 159) However,
these rights are not limitless. According the Harper v. Poway Unified School District, “students’ constitutional rights
may be limited to prevent harming the rights of other students.” (pg. 159)
As a teacher and Christian I definitely have strong opinions
on this topic. However, much to the surprise of most that I tell, I tend to
believe that the courts get it right in this instance. There must be separation
of church and state and if there is to be separation, it must be a complete separation.
I am not sure that the founding fathers, like Madison or Jefferson believed
that this debate would ever happen, or perhaps, believed it should have happened,
but the truth is, I believe that our school system is stronger because of the
debate, and the outcomes.
References
Coughlin, J. J. (1993). Religion, education, and the First
Amendment. America. 168(17). 12-15
Lupu, I.,
Masci, D., Tuttle, R. (2007). Religion in the public schools. In J. Noel (Ed.),
Multicultural education (pp. 156-161). New York, NY: McGraw-Hill.
I very much agree with you. I think there should be complete seperation also, but the fact that we are pressing the issue shows how strong our government stands with our rights. We as educators do not get religion forced onto us, and neither should our students.
ReplyDeleteI am also an advocate for a complete separation between church and state. In fact, parts of my beliefs are because of the founding fathers, like Madison and Jefferson, who also advocated that a government should be separate from religion. In The Separation of Church and State from the American Revolution to the Early Republic, Leigh Heyrman (1997) describes how Madison and Jefferson collaborated and communicated about the trials and tribulations of founding American without an integration of church and state. Both founding fathers adamantly believed this issue was pivotal to the success of our democracy (see primary sources: Madison: On the Seperation of Church and State and Jefferson’s Wall of Separation Letter). I believe these two men would have supported the court’s decisions in favor of a separation between religion and schools, but I do think they might be a bit bewildered that there are still advocates for a religious state.
ReplyDeleteCynthia- Your blog was intriguing, and I had some personal realizations after reflecting on your blog. The majority of my schooling was done in parochial schools. I attended a Christian pre-school, an Episcopal elementary and middle school, and I was actively involved at my Catholic high school. Prayer, religion, theology, Mass, and chapel services were regular weekly events. There was no separation of religion in my schooling. In fact, they were intertwined in all aspects of school, including athletics. As a teacher in public school, I do find it challenging at times to remove religion completely. I understand your call for complete separation, but I struggle with this at times. Researching public vs. parochial schools would be very interesting and enlightening!
ReplyDeleteI find it interesting that you and I came to, generally, the same conclusion. It is nearly impossible for (very busy) faculty and staff to fully grasp the law regarding religion and schools. It seems like the deck is stacked against us. I think of the problems Plano had recently, and I find myself, always, siding with the staff. It is almost a “when in doubt, say no” situation. How are we supposed to respect culture and religion without clear guidelines on the legality of religion and schooling? I find myself feeling frustrated just thinking about the issue…
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