Religion in Schools

This resource is an Inquiry Pack to accompany the Students’ Rights Timeline on LegalTimelines.org, which explores the evolution of students’ rights inside the schoolhouse gates and beyond.

Built around primary sources from the Library of Congress and other collections, this Inquiry Pack facilitates a deep dive into an important aspect of the history of suffrage and voting rights in the United States.

Each Inquiry Pack includes a background reading, several primary sources (documents, articles, images), discussion questions about the sources, an inquiry question, and an inquiry extension question.

This pack includes the following components:

• Introduction: Free Exercise Clause and Establishment Clause
• Teacher-Led Prayer in Schools
• Bible Reading in Schools
• Moments of Silence
• Religious Clubs in Schools
• Prayers at School Graduations
• Prayers at School Events
• Inquiry Question: How do the Free Exercise Clause and Establishment Clause interact in public school settings?
• Inquiry Extension Question: How should schools balance students’ Free Exercise and Establishment Clause rights?
• Inquiry Question Graphic Organizer