Santa+Fee+Independent+School+District+vs.+Doe


 * Santa Fe Independent School District v. Doe (2000) **
 * Summary: ** // Students may not use a school's loudspeaker system to offer student-led, student-initiated prayer. // Before football games, members of the student body of a Texas high school elected one of their classmates to address the players and spectators. These addresses were conducted over the school's loudspeakers and usually involved a prayer. Attendance at these events was voluntary. Three students sued the school arguing that the prayers violated the Establishment Clause of the First Amendment. A majority of the Court rejected the school's argument that since the prayer was student initiated and student led, as opposed to officially sponsored by the school, it did not violate the First Amendment. The Court held that this action did constitute school-sponsored prayer because the loudspeakers that the students used for their invocations were owned by the school.

http://www.uscourts.gov/EducationalResources/ConstitutionResources/LegalLandmarks/LandmarkSupremeCourtCasesAboutStudents.aspx
 * Impact Today:** States no longer have a say if student-initiated prayer may be offered at a school events. However, this continues to be a touchy subject in terms of student-led prayer at graduation. According to Essex (2008) “under certain conditions, voluntary student-led prayer at graduation ceremonies may be permissible”.