Number: RL30649
Title: Prayer and Religion in the Public Schools: What Is, and Is Not, Permitted
Authors: David M. Ackerman, American Law Division 
Abstract: A recurring and politically volatile issue in constitutional law concerns the standards imposed by the religion and free speech clauses of the First Amendment on government involvement with religious activities and beliefs in public schools. The Supreme Court has handed down eighteen rulings on various aspects of the matter, and the state and lower federal courts have added hundreds more. This report summarizes each of the Supreme Court's decisions, gives a detailed overview of what has been held to be constitutionally permissible and constitutionally forbidden, and describes two issues as yet unsettled.
Pages: 38
Date: Updated August 18, 2000