According to the principle of Separation of Church and State (1st Amendment), U.S. public schools are supposed to be free of religious doctrine and perspective. This means that public schools should not impose religious beliefs on students and that public group prayer should not take place. However, public schools may teach religion as a discipline. Over the years, U.S. society has been polarized in some of the issues related to religion and public schools and litigation has attempted to unsuccessfully test the first amendment.

This discussion is a Critical Discussion aligned with Florida Educator Accomplished Practices (FEAPs 2.4, 2.6, 2.8, 6).

According to the principle of Separation of Church and State (1st Amendment), U.S. public schools are supposed to be free of religious doctrine and perspective. This means that public schools should not impose religious beliefs on students and that public group prayer should not take place. However, public schools may teach religion as a discipline. Over the years, U.S. society has been polarized in some of the issues related to religion and public schools and litigation has attempted to unsuccessfully test the first amendment. Teachers do not have the constitutional right to impose their religious beliefs on students. As a future teacher, it will be your responsibility to ensure that students feel welcome and safe in the classroom, irrespective of their religious background and irrespective of your religious orientation. After researching the topic, post a four-paragraph comment about how you would address differences in religion in the classroom. Provide specific examples.