Legal Features

The Ten Commandments of Graduation Prayer

As parents, students, teachers and school officials prepare for commencement exercises, questions continue to be raised regarding what role prayer is allowed to play during graduation ceremonies. Unfortunately, despite court rulings that have attempted to discern between students' free speech rights and the Constitution's prohibition of a government establishment of religion, there remains a great deal of confusion about the rights of students and speakers to offer prayers at graduation ceremonies.

Click here for The Rutherford Institute's guidelines for constitutionally permissible ways to incorporate prayer into graduation ceremonies as well as certain practices that should be avoided.