On The Front Lines

Responding to Confusion Over Role of Prayer at Commencement Exercises, Rutherford Institute Issues Guidelines for Graduation Prayer

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. -- In response to increasing confusion over the role of prayer at commencement exercises, The Rutherford Institute has issued guidelines for constitutionally permissible ways to incorporate prayer into graduation ceremonies without violating the First Amendment to the United States Constitution, as well as certain practices that should be avoided. "The Ten Commandments of Graduation Prayer" is available here.

"There is a great amount of confusion over what can and can't be done concerning prayer at graduation ceremonies," said John W. Whitehead, president of The Rutherford Institute. "Prayer is not unconstitutional at such ceremonies. That is why The Rutherford Institute has issued guidelines in the hopes that our public schools will not abolish a time-honored tradition."

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. Since the United States Supreme Court's ruling in Lee v. Weisman, there has been much confusion over the rights of students to offer prayer at graduation ceremonies. In Lee, the Supreme Court held that public school officials violate the Establishment Clause of the First Amendment if they direct the performance of graduation prayer. In issuing "The Ten Commandments of Graduation Prayer" guidelines, Rutherford Institute attorneys point out that there are constitutionally permissible ways to offer prayers at graduation ceremonies. For example, students who have been selected to speak at a graduation ceremony may voluntarily pray as long as the ceremony is planned and organized by the student body independent of school officials. However, school officials do cross the constitutional line when they direct, edit or control the content of a student's voluntary prayer.