Ana+Maldonado

=A Prayer for our school players! =

** Guided Reading Research Question: Should prayers be allowed before and after school events? **
http://kiva.lib.utk.edu/omeka153/items/show/436 http://www.ketknbc.com/news/update-kountze-cheerleaders-can-keep-their-religio




 * My topic is basically about the right that students and or a school has on displaying religious banners before and after school events. I got interested in this topic since I heard about the cheerleaders in Texas, at Kountze High School, being denied the right to display such messages at football games. I feel this topic should be important to Americans today because it questions how far an individual can go without hindering another individuals first amendment right. **

** Those who favor prayer in school argue: **

 * banning prayer diminishes the religious freedom of students who would like to pray and forces them to act according to the dictates, of a non-religious minority.
 * a simple and voluntary school prayer does not amount to the government establishing a religion, any more than do other practices common in the U.S.
 * school prayer would result in many societal benefits. School prayer can help combat these issues, would instill a sense of morality.
 * prayer would allow religious students an opportunity to observe their religions beliefs during the school day.

Source: "Pros and Cons of Prayer in School." //AllAboutHistory.org//. N.p., n.d. Web. 28 Nov. 2012 =**__Court Cases used in my argument:__**= =__ What I think: __= Religion in schools causes disruptions as some agree and disagree with this practice. However, due to the Establishment Clause and the separation of church and state, religion is best when kept away from environments which hold various viewpoints pertaining to this issue, such as school. Prayer, in whichever form it may be, is irrelevant at any school-sponsored event, even when it is optional to attend, as “prayer is inherently coercive and cannot be implemented in a way that is truly voluntary” (“Pros and Cons of Prayer in School”).
 * Frequently heard arguments against prayer in public schools are: **
 * school prayer violates the Establishment Clause of the First Amendment which provides that government shall make no law respecting the establishment of religion.
 * school prayer violates the "separation of church and state."
 * schools are intended for education, not religious observance or proselytization.
 * school prayer made lead intolerance.
 * school prayer usurps the role of parents and religious institutions who desire to provide instructions in keeping with their own beliefs.
 * The first case I used was from an article //When faith and football don't// mix. This case occurred in the University of Tennessee-Chattanooga where it announced that it would no longer hold public prayer before football games. This decision came after accusations by the Freedom From Religion Foundation were made.
 * The second case I used was from an article //Cheerleaders can display Bible banners for now.// In this case, a judge stopped an East Texas school district from barring cheerleaders from quoting Bible verses on banners at high school football games. However, District Judge Steve Thomas, granted an injunction requested by the Kountze High School cheerleaders allowing them to continue to display religious-themed banners pending the outcome of a lawsuit, set to go on trial next June 24th.
 * The third case I used was //Lee v. Weisman (1992),// where a rabbi who was invited to recite a nondenominational school prayer at graduation ceremonies. However Daniel Weisman did not approve of such and filed a temporary restraining order against the rabbi. Because his order was denied, Weisman took his case to the Supreme Court, where it decided that "the government involvement in the case created a state-sponsored and state-directed religious exercise in a public school."
 * The fourth case I used was //Santa Fe Independent School District v. Doe (2000),// where a student elected as Santa Fe High School's student council chaplain delivered a prayer over the public address system before each home varsity football game. However, Mormon and Catholic students and their mothers challenged the prayers as violations of the First Amendment. The Supreme Court ruled 6-3 that the school's policy authorizing student-led, student-initiated prayer at football games violates the Establishment Clause.

**__Sources:__**
"Cheerleaders Can Display Bible Banners for Now." First Amendment Center. N.p., 18 Oct. 2012. Web. "Civil Rights Monitor." The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights. N.p., 2012. Web. 11 Dec. 2012. "First Amendment Center." School Prayer. First Amendment Center, 16 Sept. 2002. Web. "Lee v. Weisman (1992)." Bill of Rights Institute Landmark Supreme Court Cases Lee v Weisman 1992 Comments. N.p., 2010. Web. 11 Dec. 2012. Mehta, Hemant. "University of Tennessee at Chattanooga Will No Longer Have Christian Prayers Before Football Games." Friendly Atheist. N.p., 11 Sept. 2012. Web. 11 Dec. 2012. Paulson, Ken. "When Faith and Football Don't Mix." First Amendment Center. N.p., 25 Oct. 2012. Web. "Pros and Cons of Prayer in School." AllAboutHistory.org. N.p., n.d. Web. 28 Nov. 2012. "Religion in the Public Schools - Prayer in Public School." Religion in the Public Schools - Prayer in Public School. N.p., n.d. Web. 28 Nov. 2012. "Santa Fe Independent School District v. Doe, 530 U.S. 290 (2000)." First Amendment Schools: The Five Freedoms - Court Case. N.p., 11 Dec. 2012. Web. 11 Dec. 2012. Tomlinson, Chris. "Kountze High School Bible Banner Case: Judge Rules For Cheerleaders." The Huffington Post. TheHuffingtonPost.com, 18 Oct. 2012. Web.11 Dec. 2012. Wiggins, Jeremy. "Top Five Court Cases That Changed Religion in School - RIGHTLYCONCERNED.COM." Top Five Court Cases That Changed Religion in School - RIGHTLYCONCERNED.COM. N.p., 27 Aug. 2009. Web. 28 Nov. 2012.