Intellectual freedom is regarded as the first form of liberation. The US recognized and protected the freedom and right to religious liberty through the First Amendment. The reciting of prayers over the intercom, reading the scripture, and subsequent blessings are addressed by the establishment and free exercise clause of the Amendment.
Establishment Clause
The establishment clause prohibits state sponsorship of religion. The justification for the prohibition is to bar religious control over the government and politicization of religion. Schools should provide a platform for students to practice their right to religious liberty freely. The voluntary nature of prayers in schools should not be used to violate the establishment clause. The Supreme Court in Engel v Vitale rendered daily recitation of prayers over the public address system to be unconstitutional (Oyez, n.d.). Therefore, reciting prayers, blessings, and scripture publicly violates the First Amendment.
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Free Exercise Clause
The free exercise clause guarantees individuals the right to identify, practice, and change their beliefs to satisfy their conscience. However, the right is not absolute as the State is free to interfere in the event of a compelling interest. In the present case, the daily practice does not violate the clause to the extent that the different practices are not imposed on all students. Should the government or the school management ban the practice, they shall inhibit and violate the enjoyment of the freedom of expression and the right to religious liberty.
Excessive Entanglement
The upbringing of children is not an individual task but rather an effort that requires the entire society. Governments are permitted to offer administrative support in educating children. However, they are limited from sponsoring religion. The government's support should be of a secular legislative purpose, must not promote or prevent religion, and should not encourage excessive long-term administrative interaction of the church and State.
The Principle of Neutrality
The principle of neutrality advocates for the equal treatment of all religious sects by the State, and the treatment requires substantive neutrality, hence ensuring similar treatment of individuals from different religions. As earlier stated, schools should provide safe havens to students to exercise religious rights; the present circumstances do not violate the principle.
Devotional Atmosphere
Curtailing the right to religious liberty is similar to denying students their sense of belonging and identity. Christians, for example, say that when they reject their Lord on earth, He will reject them in heaven (Bible Hub, n.d.). Therefore, students should learn religion and be allowed to practice it.
Recommendation
To avoid threatening, infringing, and to violate the right to other students' religious liberty with different beliefs, the public recitals of prayers, blessings, and scriptures should be stopped. All rights are equal, and therefore, the practice should not be allowed to tramp over others' rights. It should be voluntary and done privately.
References
Bible Hub. (n.d.). Matthew 10:33 but whoever denies me before men, I will also deny him before my father in heaven . Bible Hub. https://biblehub.com/matthew/10-33.htm
Oyez. (n.d.). Engel v. Vitale . https://www.oyez.org/cases/1961/468
