First Amendment: Religion and Education

 
 
 
 

First Amendment: Religion and Education
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First Amendment: Religion and Education
The First Amendment emphasizes the significance of freedom of speech, freedom of religion, and the expression of rights for the American people. The government is under no obligation to force anyone to abandon their religious ideals and principles. Similarly, the First Amendment also applies in public schools and students are permitted to express or share their religious beliefs so long as such activities do not disrupt the school (Haynes, 2010). Several issues emerge regarding the students who submitted an essay on Jesus and a drawing of the Last Supper. Haynes (2010) notes that students are allowed to express their religious beliefs in their assignments, and/or artwork, whether written or orally without any discrimination based on their religious content in their assignments. Greens (2016) also contend adding that the First Amendment protects students’ expressions so long as they do not infringe on the rights and freedoms of others.
Another legal issue that arises is the question of whether, as a teacher, I should display the student’s work in the classroom. On one hand, students can express their constitutional rights to freedom of speech or expression beyond their school gate (Tinker v. Des Moines, 1969). On the other hand, school authorities can impose rules, regulations, and restrictions on various school authorities, so long as the rules do not discriminate against students’ religious expression (Bethel School Dist. v. Fraser, 1986). Given the two legal issues, the student is protected under the First Amendment to present school assignment and religious artwork while the teacher is instructed to grade the assignment appropriately without any discrimination based on the religious content in the student’s assignment.
As a teacher, I am obliged to accept the student’s assignment and the artwork, evaluate it according to the academic standards of quality, and grade the student. Accepting the student’s work, despite the religious themes, is protected under the First Amendment, allowing the student to submit the work, and treating the submission as a secular private expression (Capitol Square Review v. Pinette, 1995). Ho...