Court Says Alabama School Prayer OK if It’s Voluntary

A federal appeals court says a recent Supreme Court ruling on school prayer does not stop Alabama students from talking about religion or praying publicly at school, as long as it is voluntary.

The U.S. 11th Circuit Court of Appeals in Atlanta last week upheld its earlier ruling in Alabama’s school prayer case, throwing out parts of a Montgomery federal judge’s order that had limited religious expression by students in DeKalb County.

The U.S. Supreme Court had asked the appeals court to take a second look at the Alabama case after the high court ruled in a student prayer case out of the Santa Fe, Texas, school district.

The 11th Circuit said its findings in the Alabama case were not at odds with the Texas case, in which the Supreme Court ruled that student-led prayers are illegal if they are sanctioned by school officials but not if voluntary.

“If anything, Santa Fe and Chandler are flip sides of the same constitutional coin. Santa Fe condemns school sponsorship of prayer, while Chandler condemns school censorship of prayer,” the 11th Circuit ruling said.

The Alabama case was filed by the American Civil Liberties Union on behalf of DeKalb County educator Michael Chandler, who had challenged religious practices in the schools.

Alabama Atty. Gen. Bill Pryor said the ruling Thursday upholds the guidelines he has set for Alabama school officials to follow concerning religious expression by students.

The attorney general said the case is still not finished. He said the ACLU could appeal for a rehearing by the 11th Circuit or could appeal to the Supreme Court. He said he is confident the Supreme Court would uphold the 11th Circuit’s position.

“Students don’t shed their 1st Amendment rights when they enter the schoolhouse door,” Pryor said at a news conference in his office.