The current language of the Pledge of Allegiance as written in our federal laws states, ÔÇ£I pledge allegiance to the Flag of the United States of America, and to the Republic for which it stands, one Nation under God, indivisible, [...]
The Supreme Court has repeatedly struck down as unconstitutional attempts to inject prayer or other forms of devotional practices into public schools. The Establishment Clause forbids school-sponsored prayer. Classroom prayers and Bible readings are unconstitutional, even if students are excused [...]
Public schools must teach science, not religion, in science classes. Laws banning teaching evolution are unconstitutional. ÔÇ£Balanced TreatmentÔÇØ laws that require teachers to give ÔÇ£creation scienceÔÇØ or ÔÇ£Intelligent DesignÔÇØ equal classroom time to evolution are equally unconstitutional. Because of consistent [...]
Students deserve sex education programs that provide the information and skills necessary to make informed, responsible, and healthy decisions to reduce unintended pregnancy, partner-on-partner violence, STIs and HIV. Sex education in publicly funded schools must be medically accurate and free [...]
Non-theist, secular student groups are entitled to the same rights and protections as other extra-curricular student groups. At the college level, non-theist groups occasionally face harassment, discrimination, and limitations on available funding and other resources. Public colleges and universities are [...]
Public funds should not support parochial schools, either directly or indirectly through voucher programs. Vouchers provide citizens with direct funding to apply to private school tuitions. Scholarship funds and other tax deduction programs fund private religious institutions indirectly by allowing [...]
The wall of separation of church and state protects both freedom from government-sponsored religion and a private individualÔÇÖs freedom of conscience. This reflects the Madisonian concern that secular and religious authorities must not interfere with each otherÔÇÖs respective spheres of [...]
Introduction In 1947, the first modern Establishment Clause case made its way to the Supreme Court, and the Court ruled that the Fourteenth Amendment applies the clause to all levels of government. The Supreme Court has since interpreted the Establishment [...]
The first freedom protected by the Bill of Rights is the right of every American to a secular government that does not subscribe to religious beliefs or prohibit citizen engagement in private religious practices. Thomas Jefferson, in a famous letter [...]
