Outline On Prayer And Public School - Pros/cons

            'Prayer in Public Schools' - outline.
             - Introduction Sentence: Until around 1962, prayer was allowed to be practiced in schools across the nation.
             I - Society had no problem with school prayer before then.
             A - Early America - purpose of school = religious education.
             1 - Virginia - only state without school prayer.
             a - no tax funds for church sponsored schools.
             II - Students/Parents Stand Up.
             A - Parents and students opposed to mandatory school prayer.
             1 - Programs set up.
             2 - Students leave class during prayer time.
             3 - Violation of first amendment rights.
             III - Supreme Court Cases.
             A - Engel vs. Vitale (decision on June 25, 1962).
             1 - 1962 - New York State.
             2 - NYS Board of Regents (same one as today).
             a - recommended each morning students recite a 'neutral' prayer.
             1 - Neutral: no particular religion favored.
             2 - What is neural to one can be very offensive to another person.
             3 - 10 students parents were outraged.
             a - Believed it was Unconstitutional.
             b - brought to Supreme Court.
             4 - 8 - 1 ruling in favor of Engel.
             a - This practice was unconstitutional.
             b - This prayer violated the Constitution whether it favored one religion or not.
             B- Abington vs. Schempp (decision on June 17, 1963).
             1 - Despite Engel decision, many schools continued prayer. (37 states permitted prayer and 13 required Bible reading).
             2 - 1963 - Germanton, Pennsylvania.
             3 - The state mandated that 10 Bible verses and the Lord's prayer be read each morning in public schools over the loud speaker.
             4 - Edward Schempp (father) was a Unitarian and felt the prayer violated his children's religious freedom.
             a- School said children could be excused from prayer with parental consent.
             b - Schempp's thought this absence would cause friction between children and friends.
             5 - This reading violated Establishment and Free Exercise Clause and was therefore unconstitutional - legal end to all school prayer.