20 U.S.C. § 7904: School prayer

Summary

The Secretary must create and update guidance by September 1, 2002, and every two years after, explaining what kinds of prayer are allowed in public elementary and secondary schools. The guidance must be posted on the Department’s website (and other electronic places) and reviewed by the Justice Department’s Office of Legal Counsel before it is shared. To get federal funds under this law, each local school district must send a written statement to its state education agency by October 1 each year saying it does not block constitutionally protected school prayer. States must tell the Secretary by November 1 which districts did not file or have complaints. The Secretary must use rules or orders to make districts comply or act against those that certified in bad faith.

Title 20, §7904

Education, Source: USLM XML via OLRC

(a)Guidance

The Secretary shall provide and revise guidance, not later than September 1, 2002, and of every second year thereafter, to State educational agencies, local educational agencies, and the public on constitutionally protected prayer in public elementary schools and secondary schools, including making the guidance available by electronic means, including by posting the guidance on the Department’s website in a clear and easily accessible manner. The guidance shall be reviewed, prior to distribution, by the Office of Legal Counsel of the Department of Justice for verification that the guidance represents the current state of the law concerning constitutionally protected prayer in public elementary schools and secondary schools.

(b)Certification

As a condition of receiving funds under this chapter, a local educational agency shall certify in writing to the State educational agency involved that no policy of the local educational agency prevents, or otherwise denies participation in, constitutionally protected prayer in public elementary schools and secondary schools, as detailed in the guidance required under subsection (a). The certification shall be provided by October 1 of each year. The State educational agency shall report to the Secretary by November 1 of each year a list of those local educational agencies that have not filed the certification or against which complaints have been made to the State educational agency that the local educational agencies are not in compliance with this section.

(c)Enforcement

The Secretary is authorized and directed to effectuate subsection (b) by issuing, and securing compliance with, rules or orders with respect to a local educational agency that fails to certify, or is found to have certified in bad faith, that no policy of the local educational agency prevents, or otherwise denies participation in, constitutionally protected prayer in public elementary schools and secondary schools.

Notes & Related Subsidiaries

Editorial Notes

Prior Provisions

A prior section 7904, Pub. L. 89–10, title IX, § 9204, as added Pub. L. 103–382, title I, § 101, Oct. 20, 1994, 108 Stat. 3798, established the Native Hawaiian Education Council and island councils, prior to the general amendment of former subchapter IX of this chapter by Pub. L. 107–110.

Amendments

2015—Subsec. (a). Pub. L. 114–95, § 8021, substituted “by electronic means, including by posting the guidance on the Department’s website in a clear and easily accessible manner” for “on the Internet”.

Statutory Notes and Related Subsidiaries

Effective Date

of 2015 AmendmentAmendment by Pub. L. 114–95 effective Dec. 10, 2015, except with respect to certain noncompetitive programs and competitive programs, see section 5 of Pub. L. 114–95, set out as a note under section 6301 of this title.

§7904 School Prayer