Littleton Public Schools Policy

Policy Code    ABD Policy Name    Separation of Church and State Adoption            July 2, 1984 Revised

Religious freedom/liberty, one of the cornerstones of American democracy, is protected against government interference or encroachment by the First Amendment to the United States Constitution. This Amendment states in part:

       Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof . . .

Decisions of the United States Supreme Court over the years have defined and reaffirmed this Constitutional guarantee in relation to the public schools of the nation.

Public Schools Must Be Religiously Neutral

The principle that public schools shall be religiously neutral has been established and accepted in a long line of Supreme Court decisions. The Supreme Court has defined “religiously neutral” as refraining from:

       Promotion of any and all religions;

       Expressions of opposition or hostility to religion;

       Showing preference for one religion over another.

Accordingly, public schools must be committed to preserving the principle of Separation of Church and State as a safeguard of religious freedom for all Americans.

Schools May Teach “About” Religion

Public schools should take cognizance of religion and its role in our society. Programs which teach about religion and its role in the social and historical development of civilization do not violate the religious neutrality of the public school. Schools, however, should avoid religious observances, devotions, or celebrations.

Factual and objective teaching about religion should be distinguished from religious indoctrination which is forbidden in all public schools:

       Intercultural programs focusing on the role that religion has played in history or the development of society are generally acceptable and desirable in a multi-ethnic society.

       Programs should be encouraged which educate students about the principle of religious liberty, as one of the central elements of freedom and democracy in America.

While individual religious pieces of music may be performed for their musical value, the total effect of a music program or concert should be nonreligious. However, the study of religious music as part of a music appreciation course, or as part of a study of various lands and cultures, is appropriate.

Teachers may explain the meanings of religious holidays provided effort is made to obtain adequate and authentic information on matters pertaining to religion. Teachers should avoid the potential embarrassment of asking students to explain their own religious practices or observances, or to bring religious objects to class as a basis for discussion of holiday observances.

A student’s absence from school for the observance of a religious holiday should be recognized as an excused absence, without penalty on scholastic records.