Religion in Our Education System
Taxpayer-funded, public schools have a constitutional obligation to teach an evidence and science-based curriculum that is religiously neutral and inclusive of all students.
More states are incorporating religious material into public school education and push for vouchers for private (mostly religious) schools. Laws must be enacted to keep religion out of public education, to preserve the constitutional right to the separation of religion and government.
school prayer
Public school teachers, administrators, and employees have a duty to remain religiously neutral while carrying out their duties. This common sense policy helps ensure that students of all faiths and no faith can receive a quality education without feeling marginalized or singled out because of their religious affiliation (or lack thereof). As taxpayer-funded institutions, it is critical that public schools foster inclusive environments so they can equally serve the religiously diverse communities that support them.
All students have the right to pray in public schools so long as their religious activities are self-initiated and non-disruptive. However, courts have consistently ruled that It is unconstitutional for teachers or school employees to lead students in prayer or to encourage religious activities in school. Similarly, public schools cannot include invocations or benedictions at graduation ceremonies, regardless of who delivers the prayer. It does not matter whether or not attendance at the graduation ceremony is voluntary, since the pressure for students to attend this milestone event is effectively coercive. Lastly, public schools cannot use their resources to facilitate student-led prayer, including at official school events or athletic games.
Students of every faith and no faith have a right to receive an education without religious coercion. This is why the Secular Coalition for America opposes school-sponsored prayer.
school vouchers
The public school system is a bedrock of American society, providing a pluralistic, democratic, and accountable education to millions of children. School voucher schemes take taxpayer funding from public schools, which serve roughly 90% of all students, to send a select few students to private, usually religious, schools. Indeed, 76% of private schools in America are religiously affiliated, which means taxpayer dollars for private schools are usually helping to fund religious education.
There are many reasons to oppose school voucher schemes. First, they violate the separation
of church and state by providing taxpayer support for sectarian religious education. Second,
they fund discriminatory practices, as private and religious schools are not held to the same nondiscrimination standards as public schools, and can refuse admission to students based on religion — including refusing admission to students of LGBT of nontheistic families. Third, they don’t work. As numerous studies have found, voucher programs such as those in D.C. and Louisiana, have not improved student test scores. And, in doing so, they drain public schools of important resources.
The Secular Coalition for America believes that public dollars should go to public schools. Taxpayer money should never be used to fund religious education.
Sex Education
Students deserve sex education programs that provide the information and skills necessary to make informed, responsible, and healthy decisions to reduce unintended pregnancy,partner-on-partner violence, STIs and HIV and have satisfying relationships. Sex education in publicly funded schools must be medically accurate and free from religious influence.
Abstinence-only education is religiously motivated and ineffective. Eighty-eight percent of students break their abstinence pledges and two-thirds of high school students have had sex. Comprehensive sex education leads to a measurable reduction in early sex, unprotected sex, and number of sexual partners.
Abstinence-only programs lead to no measurable reductions in early sex or number of sex partners, and lead to a measurable increase in unprotected sex. American youth deserve medically sound sex education programs that address their needs.