School Prayer in Public Schools: 3 People Fighting to Allow God Into Classroom Setting

Whether or not prayer should be allowed in public schools is guaranteed to draw strong opinions from people on both sides of the issue.

Here are three people who have spoken out in an attempt to keep God in the schools:

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1. In South Carolina, school board member Pat Gibson Hye-Moore and Pastor Cliff Leonard helped to launch rallies as part of a "Put Prayer Back" initiative, Christian News reported. In the second rally held about the issue, more than 450 people showed up to support the idea of allowing prayer in schools.

"We need to put good morals back in school and really preach the things that come from the Bible," Leonard told WBTW. 

2. Colorado Springs high school student Chase Windebank is suing his school after he and other students were told to stop meeting during “open time” during the school day to pray and sing hymns.

“Public schools should encourage the free exchange of ideas. Instead, this school implemented an ill-conceived ban that singles out religious speech for censorship during free time,” the student’s attorney said in a statement.

The school has said the student’s religious rights were now violated, and that they can meet before or after school, but not during instructional time.

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3. Virginia State Sen. Bill Carrico proposed a bill that would permit prayer and other religious activities in public schools. The bill also allows the formation of religious student clubs, something that is already covered under federal law.

“The bill would require every Virginia school division to adopt a policy permitting student speakers to express religious viewpoints at any school event in which students are allowed to publicly speak,” the Roanoke Times wrote. “Those events would be treated as ‘limited public forums.’ Principals would be required to provide disclaimers to underscore that school divisions don’t endorse the speakers’ religious views.”

Although the bill passed, Virginia’s governor vetoed it.

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• Lawsuits Aim to Take God, Prayer Out of Schools