Which case held that school-sponsored prayer violates the Establishment Clause?

Which case held that school-sponsored prayer violates the Establishment Clause?

• A. Engle v. Vitale
• B. Abington School District v. Schempp
• C. Lemon v. Kurtzman
• D. Wallace v. Jaffree

Answer: (A)

Public schools are government actors, so any official prayer they sponsor amounts to the government endorsing religion. Engle v. Vitale holds that this kind of school-sponsored prayer is unconstitutional under the Establishment Clause, even if the prayer is non-denominational and participation is voluntary, because it communicates government approval of religion and can coerce participation during the school day. This case set a foundational rule that the state cannot compose or proffer prayers for students in public schools. Related decisions expand on the theme—such as restrictions on school-sponsored Bible readings and the development of tests to assess religious involvement in public institutions—but Engle is the landmark ruling establishing that school-sponsored prayer itself breaches the First Amendment.

Public schools are government actors, so any official prayer they sponsor amounts to the government endorsing religion. Engle v. Vitale holds that this kind of school-sponsored prayer is unconstitutional under the Establishment Clause, even if the prayer is non-denominational and participation is voluntary, because it communicates government approval of religion and can coerce participation during the school day.

This case set a foundational rule that the state cannot compose or proffer prayers for students in public schools. Related decisions expand on the theme—such as restrictions on school-sponsored Bible readings and the development of tests to assess religious involvement in public institutions—but Engle is the landmark ruling establishing that school-sponsored prayer itself breaches the First Amendment.