Issue Documentation Analysis

(Please provide website or other reference sources for the

information that you provide)

My issue of concern (i.e., clearly define the nature of your issue):

My concern is about Prayer that was taken out of public schools. This removal has
caused and will continue to cause more and more shootings, bullying, division and
will create more havoc with our generation now and those who are on the way. God
should be placed back into not just our homes but inside of schools.

Prevalence of the problem (e.g., number of people impacted, level at which this
issue effects people around the world or in certain localities)
This impact students, staff, families, sickness and morals have been affected.
In 2007, the Center for Disease Control and Prevention mentions that “5.9 % of
students carry weapons to school, 7.8 percent have been threatened or injured on
campuses nationwide and 12.4 percent of students have been in a physical fight on
school grounds at least once”. Parents have taken their child(ren) about 5.3% out of
school because they do not feel safe to have them go. William Bennet, studied and
found that,” in his cultural indexes that between 1960 and 1990 divorce doubled,
teenage pregnancy went up 200 percent, teen suicide increased 300 percent, violent
crime went up 500 percent”, since prayer has been removed from public schools.

Current Legislative or Legal Initiatives Designed to Address this Issue:

Prayer clubs are allowed in some school, that are based on before school or after
school. Not school displayed or advertised. Has to be more student led with prayer
and invites. I also found that,”The First Amendment not only applies to prayer or
other verbal religious expression, but also to other forms of religious messages
during the school day. The U.S. Department of Education released guidelines in
2000 with the following advice: “Students may express their beliefs about religion in the
form of homework, artwork, and other written and oral assignments free of discrimination
based on the religious content of their submissions. Such home and classroom work should
be judged by ordinary academic standards of substance and relevance, and against other
legitimate pedagogical concerns identified by the school.”
Other forms of student religious expression should be treated as any other type of student speech
on campus. If a student’s private expression does not create a substantial disruption to the
educational environment or infringe on the rights of others, the school should protect the
student’s right to express himself or herself.

These guidelines were given additional support on Feb. 7, 2003, when the Department of
Education issued a somewhat revised version — and warned that school districts failing to abide
by them faced losing federal money.

“Even after repeated dissemination of guidelines, far too many school administrators still ignore
their obligation to protect the religious-liberty rights of students,” said Charles Haynes, the First
Amendment Center’s senior scholar. “Linking the guidelines to funding is a wake-up call that
may finally push all schools to take the First Amendment seriously.”

Level of Opposition/Complication) to this Issue (e.g., Factors that lead to the

proliferation of this problem; social/philosophical obstacles to finding a solution;
environmental issues):
Prayer was removed from schools on June 25, 1962, in the Engel vs. Vitale case the U.S.
Supreme Court declared school-sponsored prayers to be unconstitutional.

If this issue is resolved on a local or global level, how would you describe that
outcome (e.g., prevalence goal, impact on those being affected by the issue)?

I would describe this outcome as a wonderful, bold and powerful act. It will take hard
work, dedication and to have many people on board. This can be done maybe now
more then ever with everyone experiencing the pandemic

Reference
Eliassin S. (2011). Moral decline due to absence of school prayer. Retrieved
from:http://panthernow.com/2011/02/09/moral-decline-due-to-absence-of-school-
prayer/

(2002). School Prayer. Retrieved From: https://www.freedomforuminstitute.org/first-

amendment-center/topics/freedom-of-religion/religious-liberty-in-public-schools/school-
prayer/