Students should be allowed to pray in schools Research Paper

Students should be allowed to pray in schools - Research Paper Example This void in emotional satisfaction is filled in by the prayers. â€Å"Students have the right to engage in voluntary individual prayer that is not coercive and does not substantially disrupt the schools educational mission and activities† (Anti-Defamation League, 2013). In many families, parents teach their children to regularly pray. They describe the physical, psychological, emotional, and sociological benefits of praying to their children in their attempt to make the experience of praying all the more enlightening and emotionally fulfilling for the children. Children build a very positive image of praying using the lessons taught to them by their parents. â€Å"Ninety percent of Americas youngsters attend public schools. These students come from homes that espouse a variety of religious and philosophical beliefs† (Americans United, 2014). In such circumstances, when they see prayers being banned in school, they are bound to think negatively about at least their parents, prayers, and/or school. They cannot think positively about prayers and school and yet see the latter denying access to the former. â€Å"Students in school as well as out of school are ‘persons’ under our Constitution† (ACLJ, n.d.) and so they must be g ranted the right to pray in school. Critics might say that prayers should be banned in schools because they take a lot of time. However, this is not reality. Prayers in most religions hardly take five to ten minutes at the maximum to be made. This time can be allowed either in the lunch break, or in the ten to fifteen minutes of break between consecutive periods. In fact, it takes no more than two minutes for many children to pray. Critics might also say that prayers should be disallowed in schools because they impact other students. If that is so, there is no harm in that. The purpose of schools is education. If students see their peers and class-fellows belonging to different