Final Project

Running head: Religious Expression 1

Religious Expression: Let Us Pray

Annette Williams

ECE673: ADVOCACY, POLICY, & SOCIAL JUSTICE IN EARLY CHILDHOOD

EDUCATION

Instructor Alvarado

May 25, 2020

Religious Expression: Let Us Pray

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1. Religious

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Religious Expression 2

The Fourteenth Amendment had a positive impact on religion and public education. This

is because it protected the rights of people to practice their religions. Religious members were

given equal protection by the Fourteenth Amendment. The amendment also ensures that there

was equality in public education.

African Americans were unable to get equal educational opportunities with whites. The

Fourteenth Amendment, however, ensured that discrimination was eliminated even in education.

It; therefore, led to an increase in the number of students from diverse backgrounds. Students

would have the freedom to practice their religions. For example, Muslim students would worship

on Fridays. Students were given religious freedom rights as a result of the amendment. Those

who did not belong to a certain religious group could not be forced by the schools to attend the

religious meetings.

The amendment also impacted students' discipline. This is because it required formal

procedures to be followed while disciplining students. "…students have a legitimate entitlement

to public education as a property right” (Calabresi et al, 2013). Students should not be provided

with due process protections such as allowing them to be listened to in the discipline cases. The

amendment also led to the desegregation of public schools. There were numerous efforts to

desegregate public schools.

Religious displays are likely to cause numerous challenges. School districts may find it

difficult to find a proper balance between holiday activities being religious enough but not

offending minority religious beliefs because all students have a right to engage in their religions.

"Increased religious diversity and sensitivity to the religious views of others have created some

concern over these traditions" (Stader, 2013). In most of the school districts, a large percentage

of students are likely to belong to a specific religious group such as Christianity or Islam. School

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Religious Expression 3

districts must; therefore, ensure that there are religious holiday activities for these students. Due

to the fact that many students engage in similar religious practices, they might influence the way

a school district makes policies regarding religious activities. Some activities that are approved

include worshipping on Sundays. Some religious groups who worship on weekdays might be

offended by the school district policies because they may not be given adequate time to worship.

Culture wars might be defined as a conflict between various social groups on whose

group has the most superior beliefs, practices, and values or the disagreements over evolution,

religious holidays, and school prayers. Some other areas that intertwine public education are

sports, physical appearance, and language. Some students might be forced to wear certain

clothes. The language used for instruction in schools might be debatable. This is because some

parents might want their children to be taught in a specific language while avoiding other

languages.

To respond to the potential dilemmas surrounding religious expressions, it will be

important to understand the religious views of all students. Students will be given equal

opportunities irrespective of their religious preferences. Minority students will be able to practice

their religion in the same way as the majority of the students. The basic guidelines to be used in

decision making include treating all students the same, understanding that sports programs,

murals, advertisements, and signs during the extracurricular activities convey an impression of

school sponsorships and giving students who have religious messages the freedom to discuss the

religious beliefs.

REFERENCES

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Calabresi, S. G., & Salander, A. (2013). Religion and the Equal Protection Clause: Why the

Constitution Requires School Vouchers. Fla. L. Rev., 65, 909.

Stader, D. L. (2013). Law and ethics in educational leadership (2nd ed.). Retrieved from

https://www.vitalsource.com

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