US/education/primary/public/prayer
Overview
A somewhat hastily-written summary: In the United States, the legal doctrine of separation of church and state requires that government-funded activities not be religious in nature. This includes public schools, which are (now) not allowed to call for prayer or other religious-oriented activities (though as far as I know they still do include the "under God" in the Pledge of Allegiance). This apparently bothers many religiously-oriented people, for reasons which are not entirely clear.
Notes
I'm seeing claims (e.g. The Sneeze) that it's not just teachers and staff who are not allowed to conduct religious activities, but that even students are not allowed to conduct them – that even the mention of "God" at a school event is somehow not allowed. Is this true? --Woozle 20:59, 30 May 2006 (EDT)