No, God Was Not Kicked Out of Public Schools: What the Constitution Really Says About Religion in Education

Understanding the First Amendment, religious freedom, and the role of faith in America’s classrooms

God was never kicked out of school. Image generated by ChatGPT and the author.

Every day I see memes on Facebook claiming that God has been kicked out of public schools — and that this is the cause of all society’s problems. Today I read one that said:

“Sadly, you can read the Bible in prison but you can’t read it in school. Maybe if they read the Bible in school, they wouldn’t end up in prison.”

I see this and others like it all over the internet, and I cringe.

Let me be clear: this is fake news — meaning it’s not true for a few reasons. First, we have rights — the freedom of religion. It’s important that we understand the First Amendment and our constitutional rights because it appears many people are clueless. While it’s true that public schools can’t force children to pray or practice a certain religion, they also can’t stop anyone from doing so either.

You can read the Bible in school — just like you can in prison, and there are plenty of people who have read it and still go to prison. By itself, just reading the Bible isn’t going to change anyone or prevent them from…