Can schools stop students from praying?

Students may have to rely on state laws for religious accommodations. Prostock-Studio via Getty Images by Frank S. Ravitch, Michigan State University Can a school ban a child from praying, or do schools have to provide accommodations for children with certain beliefs? – Isaac T., 17, Flint, Michigan Can you imagine starting each day at school joining your class in a prayer that you might not believe in? Back in the 1950s, many teachers led the class in a public prayer, and these prayers were usually from one religion. In 1962, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that school-sponsored classroom prayer is a violation of the First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution. Curious Kids is a series for children of all ages. If you have a question you’d like an expert to answer, send it to curiouskidsus@theconversation.com. But that doesn’t mean students can never pray while in school. The rule against organized school prayer is balanced by another First Amendment right: the free exercise of religion. As a law professor who specializes in law and religion, I’ve studied how the First Amendment applies in a school setting. Freedom of religion was important to the people who wrote the U.S. Constitution. That’s...