Should public school teachers be allowed to lead students in prayer? Here's what Americans think

AUSTIN, Texas — A fresh wave of debate is unfolding across the country over the role of prayer and religion in public schools.

Last week, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott signed a law requiring every public school classroom to display the Ten Commandments. Starting in September, every public school classroom in Texas will have to "visibly display a poster sized at least 16 by 20 inches" with the Ten Commandments, according to the Texas Tribune. This law is part of a broader push by Texas lawmakers to reintroduce Judeo-Christian values into public education.

In May, the state Legislature also passed a bill allowing schools to offer a daily period for prayer or religious study.

Similar efforts elsewhere have faced legal hurdles. In Louisiana, a Ten Commandments law was blocked by a panel of federal appellate judges, who ruled it unconstitutional.

And the U.S. Supreme Court blocked the launch of the nation's first religious public charter school in Oklahoma after a 4-4 split left a lower court ruling against the school in place.

When it comes to prayer in public schools, where do Americans stand on this question?

It depends where you go in the country, according to a new analysis from Pew Research Center. A slim majority of U.S. adults, 52%, say they support allowing teachers to lead their classes in prayers that mention Jesus, while 46% oppose the idea. But behind this breakdown are significant regional differences that point to deep divides among Americans on this question.

In states like Mississippi and Alabama, support tops 75%, reflecting the strong religious tradition in much of the South. In contrast, states like Oregon (65%), Vermont (64%) and California (56%) show majority opposition. Meanwhile, in states such as Virginia, Pennsylvania and Arizona, public opinion is so closely divided that no clear majority emerges.

In Utah, 45% favor prayer in class, while 54% oppose it, according to Pew. These findings are part of the latest Religious Landscape Study that took an expansive look at the religious shifts in the country.

The study also found that when it comes to the display of religious symbols, half of Americans — about 53% — support allowing cities and towns to display religious symbols on public property, with support especially strong among Christians. In contrast, much smaller shares of non-Christian groups support this idea, including 39% of Buddhists, 35% of Muslims, 31% of Hindus and 25% of Jews.

In some states, efforts to incorporate prayer and scripture into the school day have been met with opposition, as in Louisiana's effort to have the Ten Commandments displayed in classrooms, which was banned by a federal appeals court as unconstitutional.

"This is a resounding victory for the separation of church and state and public education," said Heather L. Weaver, a senior staff attorney with the American Civil Liberties Union, per the Associated Press. "With (the) ruling, the Fifth Circuit has held Louisiana accountable to a core constitutional promise: Public schools are not Sunday schools, and they must welcome all students, regardless of faith."

Supporters backing the introduction of prayer and scripture back into the classroom believe such measures reinforce moral values, reflect the country's religious heritage and give families more freedom to express their faith in public education.

"The Bible is a necessary historical document to teach our kids about the history of this country, to have a complete understanding of Western civilization, to have an understanding of the basis of our legal system — and is frankly, we're talking about the Bible, one of the most foundational documents used for the Constitution and the birth of our country," Oklahoma Superintendent of Public Instruction Ryan Walters said when he introduced the policy to the state's schools last year, per The Washington Post.

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