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safety with all involved? In Jesus? name I pray, Amen.? Judge Lake’s decision was soon overturned by a panel of judges three to one. An attorney out of Houston, Kelly Coghlan is a champion of the right to pray in school. He has taken Ward?s case. Coghlan sees the issue of prayers at special events as a free speech issue. If a student is allowed to deliver a message to an audience, and the student is able to choose the message with no interference from school officials, then if the student wants part of his message to be a prayer it becomes a free speech issue (Koppel 1). In essence the issue for Ward and her lawyer is not whether they should be allowed to pray before school begins, but the right to pray before special events such as football games and graduations. In the Connecticut Law Tribune, Stuart Taylor writes that, ?Students may lead prayers at such ceremonies if done on their own initiative, not the school?s. Their prayers must be non-sectarian and non-proselytizing?(Taylor 1). The idea that has been the courts strong hold is that primary and secondary school students are still very impressionable and vulnerable. If prayer is allowed in school led by teachers that it would be a very powerful religious message, or to non-believers, exclusion. However, Taylor explains, the court has accommodated the students who want to pray during the school day, allowing periods of silence and extracurricular clubs that prayer meetings in school buildings (Taylor news).

Taylor also reports that Justice Antonin Scalia believes that a nonsectarian graduation prayer is at the most a trifling imposition on the few offended students?who were not pressured to join in?and the few who are offended should not eradicate the ?expression of gratitude to God that a majority of the community wishes to make? (Taylor news).

Another source that I found interesting is a poll done by the Roper Center at the University of Connecticut. NBC News and the Wall Street Journal sponsored the poll. The poll asked 2011 adults several questions about prayer in public school. The results of the poll showed 47% said that Government should allow prayer in public schools (totally). Only 17% said Government should preserve a clear separation between church and state (Public Opinion On-line).

As you can see the opinions are very strong and wide-ranging. We have some very extreme ideas about whether or not prayer should be allowed in public schools. In the extreme cases some believe that school should have specific prayers led by the school each day. There is also talk of posting the Ten Commandments in public schools across the country. On the other side of the equation we have people who believe that there should be no mention of God under any circumstances to preserve the separation of church and state. That would include no Nativity scenes or Christmas programs or possibly getting rid the word God in the Pledge of Allegiance.

I have looked at several opinions on the issue of prayer in public school, and I find it to be a difficult issue to decide. I am sure that the debate will rage on as long as the Constitution is in tact.

Work Cited

Comeaux, Connie and Bob Croddy. ? Should School Begin with a

Moment of Silence?? NEA Today. September 15, 1995: 45.

Hart and Teeter Research Company. ?Public Opinion On-Line.? June

30, 1999.

*http://web.lexis-

nexis.com/universe?c1484cbce6cf77777a9b537&taggedDocs=*

Koppel, Nathan. ?New Reading on School Prayer.? Texas Lawyer.

September 20, 1999: 1.

Pollitt, Katha. ? Subject to Debate.? The Nation. December 26, 1994:

788.

Taylor, Stuart. ?School Prayer a Issue a Judicial Minefield.? The

Connecticut Law Tribune. September 27, 1999: Sec. News.



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