Deck 2: Religion and the Public Schools

Question 1

School sponsored prayer may be permitted if:

A) Students are not required to participate
B) Students are allowed to enter the building after prayer is offered
C) The community strongly support it
D) None of the above

Answer 1

None of the above

Question 2

Student initiated prayer in public schools is permitted if:

A) The school allocates a special time for students to pray
B) The school develops policies governing time and place in which prayer occur
C) Prayer is strict voluntary
D) None of the above

Answer 2

None of the above

Question 3

The Bible may be used as a:

A) Literary document
B) Historical document
C) Ethical and/or a philosophical resource
D) All of the above

Answer 3

All of the above

Question 4

Silent prayer and meditation is prohibited based on:

A) The Engel case
B) The Schempp case
C) The Jaffree case
D) None of the above

Question 5

Silent prayer and meditation may be offered in public schools if:

A) Students are not coerced to participate
B) Only one minute is set aside
C) Students elect to pray voluntarily
D) None of the above

Question 6

The Child Benefit Theory was established in:

A) Cochran v. Louisiana
B) Lemon v. Kurtzman
C) Early v. Dicenso
D) Aguilar v. Felton

Question 7

Which of the following is not included in the Lemon v. Kurtzman criteria?

A) School practices must have a secular purpose
B) School practices must not coerce students to participate
C) School practices must neither advance nor inhibit religion
D) School practices must not create excessive entanglement

Question 8

Which of the following examples are legally permissible as determined by the courts?

A) Free public transportation for parochial school students
B) Tuition reimbursement to parents or parochial school children
C) Shared time and community education programs for parochial school students
D) State financing of auxiliary services and direct loans for instructional equipment and materials for parochial schools

Question 9

Public schools may use religious symbols if:

A) They are discussed in conjunction with various holidays
B) They are placed on the bulletin board during various holidays
C) They are used to explain various cultural and religious groups
D) None of the above

Question 10

Which of the following practices was held to be permissible by a court?

A) Posting the Ten Commandments in public schools
B) Placing the Ten Commandments in a conspicuous location in every classroom
C) Allowing a monument that was erected in 1962 to remain on state property for historical and educational purposes
D) Posting a religious motto in a public school building

Question 11

Prayer at athletic contests are permissible if:

A) The coaches do not participate
B) Students are not compelled to attend
C) The school does not encourage prayer at these events
D) None of the above

Question 12

The Equal Access Amendment was passed to:

A) Allow outside religious groups to use school facilities during non-instructional time
B) Allow student religious clubs in all schools the opportunity to access school facilities during non-instructional time
C) Allow student religious clubs in high schools to access school facilities
D) Allow any student organization to use school facilities during non-instructional time

Question 13

Release time for religious instruction off school grounds involving students was ruled unconstitutional in:

A) Cochran v. Lawson
B) McCollum v. Board of Education
C) Everson v. New Jersey
D) Zorach v. Clauson

Question 14

Distribution of religious material in public school is permissible if:

A) Students are not coerced to accept religious materials
B) Parents consent to allow their child to accept these materials
C) Materials are distributed after school hours
D) None of the above

Question 15

Which cases did address the Pledge of Allegiance in public schools?

A) Newdow v. United States and West Virginia State Board of Education v. Barnette
B) Meltzer v Board of Public Instruction of Orange County and Tudor v. Board of Education of Borough of Rutherford
C) Garnett v. Renton School District and Clark v. Dallas Independent Schools
D) Lanner v. Winner and Johnson-Loehner v. O'Brien

Question 16

The Establishment Clause is intended to establish a clear separation of church and state.

Question 17

The Bible cannot be used in public schools.

Question 18

Free textbooks and transportation cannot be provided to students who attend parochial schools.

Question 19

Students can be released to attend religious instruction in public schools with parental consent.

Question 20

Students may be disciplined for refusing to recite the Pledge of Allegiance.

Question 21

The use of public funds to provide instruction for Title I students does not violate the Establishment Clause.

Question 22

The inclusion of the phrase "under God" found in the pledge is unconstitutional.

Question 23

High school students in religion clubs may be denied access to meet on school property if the school does not have a limited open forum.

Question 24

School officials may disallow religious groups to use school facilities in an effort to avoid a conflict of church and state even though other nonreligious groups use the facilities.

Question 25

A student may be disallowed from distributing religious literature in public schools.

Question 26

Religious displays in public schools violate the Establishment Clause of the First Amendment.

Question 27

The Lemon test suggests that certain practices in public schools must have a sectarian purpose.

Question 28

Public school students in some jurisdictions may initiate student-led prayer in schools.

Question 29

Public schools may observe holidays through school sponsored programs, if they do not create a devotional atmosphere.

Question 30

Public school teachers may use religious exhibits to discuss various holidays.

Question 31

A teacher may refuse to teach certain subjects that conflict with his/her religious beliefs.

Question 32

Teachers' religious rights are covered under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964.

Question 33

The courts have held that prayer at legislative meetings do not violate the Establishment Clause of the First Amendment.

Question 34

Cheerleaders at schools across the nation may use religious banners at football games based on their freedom of expression rights.

Question 35

Discuss the Establishment Clause and the Free Exercise Clause and illustrate by example how a school administration may violate each. (Be specific)

Question 36

You have just been appointed principal of a high school of 1200 students in a conservative community. You discover on your very first day that prayer is recited over the intercom, a scripture is read and blessings are given before some students eat.
A. What specific components of the First Amendment are involved here?
B. Discuss these violations with your faculty in the context of the following:
a. Establishment Clause
b. Free Exercise Clause
c. Excessive entanglement
d. Principle of neutrality
e. Devotional atmosphere
C. What steps should be taken to address the violations cited above?

Question 37

What is the significance of the passage of the Merry Christmas Bill in a number of states? What are the administrative implications of this legislation?