Religious Liberty in Public Schools Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Religious Liberty in Public Schools - Essay Example It goes a long way in eliminating discrimination on the basis of religion in public places. This is what informed the decision in Van Orden v Perry (2005), where the Supreme Court held that the Ten Commandment on the government monument at the Texas State Capitol violated the Establishment Clause of the First Amendment.  The issue of religious expression in public places, especially in schools, is an area that has attracted a series of serious debates. Many of these matters always find their way in court. In the case of Abington School District v. Schempp (1963), the state of Pennsylvania required that ten verses should be read from the Holy Bible each morning in public schools each school day. The majority of Supreme Court judges found this to contravene the First Amendment.  Just as in the above-mentioned case, it would be wrong to display the student’s depiction of Jesus Christ in class as this would be going against the First Amendment as that would amount to leaning t owards Christianity as opposed to the required neutrality in the public schools towards religion (Ackerman, 2001).  Putting all these factors into consideration, it would therefore go against some student’s rights, as this is a captive audience, and can be easily swayed into believing something that is against their religious creed. It is therefore important not to display that kind of work in class to protect the constitutional rights of the other students and avoid violating the First Amendment, which could have in itself dire consequences.