Opinion
Curriculum Letter to the Editor

Religious Coercion Has No Place in Public Schools

August 22, 2017 1 min read
  • Save to favorites
  • Print

To the Editor:

In Roger L. Beckett’s Commentary (“Why Religion Belongs in the Classroom,” July 7, 2017), he makes some valid points on the need to teach religion in our nation’s public schools. His essay, however, glosses over critical constitutional distinctions and particular religious-coercion issues raised by a new Florida law he cites. Public schools are not devoid of religion. Over 50 years ago, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that schools may teach about religion in a secular and objective manner. And students are permitted to engage in a host of voluntary and private religious activities such as group prayer during nonclass time and participation in after-school or noncurricular religious clubs. But the First Amendment’s establishment clause prohibits school-sponsored religious indoctrination and coercion.

That is exactly what Florida’s so-called Student and School Personnel Religious Liberties Act authorizes. In the classroom, it plainly empowers a teacher or parent to give a Christian, Jewish, or Muslim prayer to children as young as 5, or conversely, an ethical-humanist message expressing disbelief in religion. It also authorizes K-12 students to proselytize or denigrate religion at compulsory and noncompulsory events such as football games, holiday assemblies, or graduation. Constitutional prohibitions on government advancement, endorsement, or coercion of religion may be distasteful to some. However, they are the reason why religion has flourished in America. Public schools’ adherence to these prohibitions reflects a profound respect for religious freedom and recognition of the extraordinary diversity of religions represented by the students in our public schools.

David L. Barkey

Southeastern Area & National Religious Freedom Counsel

Anti-Defamation League

Boca Raton, Fla.

A version of this article appeared in the August 23, 2017 edition of Education Week as Religious Coercion Has No Place in Public Schools

Events

School & District Management Webinar EdMarketer Quick Hit: What’s Trending among K-12 Leaders?
What issues are keeping K-12 leaders up at night? Join us for EdMarketer Quick Hit: What’s Trending among K-12 Leaders?
This content is provided by our sponsor. It is not written by and does not necessarily reflect the views of Education Week's editorial staff.
Sponsor
Artificial Intelligence Webinar
Teaching Students to Use Artificial Intelligence Ethically
Ready to embrace AI in your classroom? Join our master class to learn how to use AI as a tool for learning, not a replacement.
Content provided by Solution Tree
This content is provided by our sponsor. It is not written by and does not necessarily reflect the views of Education Week's editorial staff.
Sponsor
Teaching Webinar
Empowering Students Using Computational Thinking Skills
Empower your students with computational thinking. Learn how to integrate these skills into your teaching and boost student engagement.
Content provided by Project Lead The Way

EdWeek Top School Jobs

Teacher Jobs
Search over ten thousand teaching jobs nationwide — elementary, middle, high school and more.
View Jobs
Principal Jobs
Find hundreds of jobs for principals, assistant principals, and other school leadership roles.
View Jobs
Administrator Jobs
Over a thousand district-level jobs: superintendents, directors, more.
View Jobs
Support Staff Jobs
Search thousands of jobs, from paraprofessionals to counselors and more.
View Jobs

Read Next

Curriculum Texas Students May Soon Be Reading Bible Stories in English Classes
The state has advanced a controversial curriculum that includes Christian teachings in K-5 lessons.
5 min read
A Texas flag is displayed in an elementary school in Murphy, Texas, Thursday, Dec. 3, 2020.
A Texas flag is displayed in an elementary school in Murphy, Texas, in 2020.
LM Otero/AP
Curriculum Holy Excrement! How Poop and Other Kid Fascinations Can Ignite a Passion for STEM
Here's how teachers can incorporate students' existing interests into the curriculum.
6 min read
STEM
Collage by Laura Baker/Education Week via Canva
Curriculum Opinion There’s a Better Way to Teach Digital Citizenship
Many popular resources for digital-citizenship education only focus on good online behavior. That’s a problem.
Alexandra Thrall & T. Philip Nichols
5 min read
digital citizenship computer phone 1271520062
solarseven/iStock/Getty
Curriculum Letter to the Editor Christian Nationalism vs. Spirituality in America’s Schools
A retired teacher responds to the Oklahoma state schools superintendent's guidance on teaching the Bible in public schools in the state.
1 min read
Education Week opinion letters submissions
Gwen Keraval for Education Week