Back to School: 10 Religious Liberties Students Need to Know

Before students order their books and stock their backpacks, they need to think about preparing their most valuable back-to-school tool yet: knowledge of their religious liberty rights.

The number of religious liberty attacks increases each year, and yet, many cases go undetected due to lack of knowledge. Unfortunately, the vast majority of students don’t even know their rights and as a result can’t identify or stand up to attacks on their religious freedoms.

So before students make those last minute runs to Target and Staples, we at Liberty Institute encourage them to prepare now for the battles they might encounter this school year:

1. Students have the right to First Amendment protections in public schools.

2. Students have the right to read their Bibles at school during free reading times.

3. Students have the right to pray before an athletic competition, school assembly, or other extra-curricular activity.

4. Students have the right to pray during free time, such as lunch or recess.

5. Students have the right to talk about religion with teachers and school employees.

6. Students have the right to talk about God in class or school assignments.

7. Students have the right to start a religious club at their public school.

8. Students have the right to distribute informational flyers and use school resources for their religious club.

9. Students have the right to wear jewelry and clothing that expresses their religious beliefs.

10. Students have the right to share their faith with their peers.

Just because someone is a government official or in authority doesn’t mean their word is the law. Many times well-meaning individuals are misinformed or misguided. For example, we all know where the term “separation of church and state” appears in the Constitution: Nowhere. The First Amendment says the school’s job is to protect each student’s freedom of religious expression and not force one particular religion on anyone.

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