In response to such laws congress passed the Ten Commandments Act, which allows schools to post the Ten Commandments if they wish. .
Another aspect of prayer in the classroom is providing students with a moment of silence so that they can choose to pray or not to pray each day. In 1985, in the case of Wallace versus Jafree, the moment of silence statute was questioned because some say it was passed with the intent of bringing back prayer in the classroom. Rob Boston of Americans United for Separation of Church and State suggests, "if the plan were for students to pray on their own, silently, then they can do that" (Boston). Many feel that a moment of silence should be allowed and that it does not violate or disrupt others or take away from the religious rights of others. Although some students would use that time for praying, others can use it for whatever he or she would like. It may be unconstitutional to impose prayer on children but many feel it is also unconstitutional to restrict those who wish to pray the right to do so. The confusion of prayer in schools does not end in the classroom; it is often carried over to outside the classroom.
The next issue about prayer is how far the walls of the school extend. Prayer is not allowed in the classroom but many question whether it should be allowed outside or after school hours. The Board of Education of Westside Community School took this issue into consideration. They went up against Mergens in 1990 and the Federal Equal Access Act was passed. This act requires high schools to give equal access to student religious groups. In March 2001, in the U.S. News and World Report, a poll was given and seventy two percent over twenty six percent were in favor of using school facilities for religious groups, such as clubs and organizations. Two examples of these clubs are Young Life and Fellowship of Christian Athletes. These groups meet after school hours on school property and their rights are protected by this act.