8. You have just been appointed principal of a high school of 1200 students in a

Question

8. You have just been appointed principal of a high school of 1200 students in a conservative community. You discover on your very first day that prayer is recited over the intercom, a scripture is read and blessings are given before some students eat. A. What specific components of the First Amendment are involved here? B. Discuss these violations with your faculty in the context of the following: a. Establishment Clause b. Free Exercise Clause c. Excessive entanglement d. Principle of neutrality e. Devotional atmosphere C. What steps should be taken to address the violations cited above?

Explanation / Answer

A. The specific components of the first amendment involved are recition of the prayer and scripture. Under the first amendment congress will not make any law in favour of religion and abdridging the freedom of speech and right to peaceful assembling.

In the school the students are not assembled and a specific religion scripture is read that violates the first amendment.

B.Under Establishment clause congress is not supposed to make an law that favors a religion or prohibiting the freedom of any religion. Therefore by reading a specific scripture this clause is violated. Hence they should change the prayer.

B. Free exercise clause: No law can force to follow a particular religion neither can prohibit the freedom of such religion. Since students are made to follow certain religion practices this is also being violated.

C. Excessive entanglement: Theres should not be any excessive entanglement between government and religion.

D. Principle of neutrality: The principle prevents any movement engaged in controversies related to religion, politics,etc.

The school should not favor any such movement that favors a specific religion.

E. Devotional atmosphere: It is unconstitutional to initiate a student led or institution led prayers.

In order to address the above violations the school should first change the prayer method where the students are assembeld and a common theme prayer that does not favour any specific religion is to be written and followed. Also the scripture reading should be stopped and students should be given their freedom to adapt a common practice that does not violate the priciple of neutrality.

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