Separation of Church and State
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"The First Amendment protects the right of freedom of religion. This right has two parts. First, the government cannot interfere with the "free exercise" of religion. Second, the government may not "establish" a religion. In short, there must be a "separation of church and state"." (Eve Cary; The American Civil Liberties Union; The Rights of Students) Allowing public schools to endorse any religion or religious ideas violates the constitutional rights of the students. Although almost 80% of the nation is Christian, there are still 20% who do not have the same values as the majority. Separating religion and school decreases religious discrimination and keeps public schools neutral on religion. By doing this it leaves only the educational challenges for the students to focus on.
Prayer is a solemn petition to a god and also a protected form of speech, but when schools require, lead, or promote prayer it is a violation of the principle of church-state separation, which is clearly defined by court interpretations of the 1st Amendment of the United States Constitution...