Why are schools sometimes seen as "the battleground for the struggle to define the

Question

separation of church and state"?

What will be an ideal response?

Answer 1

The historical background of our country tells us that there are many people of various religious backgrounds and beliefs represented in our schools. As a result, schools have become a battleground for the struggle to define the separation of church and state. The conflict becomes especially difficult when the two religion clauses of the First Amendment become pitted against each other. This happens when a school claims that allowing a religious practice to occur on school property would be a violation of the Establishment Clause while parents claim that not allowing religious practice to occur on school property would be a violation of the Free Exercise Clause. One of the examples can be the lawsuit of Abington School District v. Schemmp (1963). In this case, the U.S. Supreme Court unleashed a furor when it ruled that vocal prayers in school violate the Establishment Clause of the First Amendment. Another example is not the case of Good News Club v. Milford Central School (2000) where the Supreme Court ruled that allowing religious organizations to meet on school grounds was not a violation of the Establishment Clause nor did it interfere with a parent's right to guide a child's upbringing.