Author: Constance Thulisile Destiny Malatji
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 0
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Book Description
Religion plays a significant role among people. Human beings have always turned to religion for answers to critical questions about life such as reasons for existence. Religious beliefs also inform people's conceptions about morality and justice. However, religion is also a very controversial topic. It has both the potential to divide or unite nations. Hence, the global view of religious freedom as a fundamental human right. Among contestations involving religious freedom is the issue of parents' primary right to determine religious observances for their children at public schools. A right which is protected internationally, by among others, Article 5 of the 1981 Declaration on the Elimination of All Forms of Intolerance and Discrimination Based on Religion and Belief; Article 26(1) of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (1948); and Article 18 (4) of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR) (1966). These covenants emphasise the inalienable right of parents to have their children educated in accordance with their own religious convictions or beliefs. In South Africa, this a priori right of parents is protected by the Constitution of the Republic of South Africa, 1996 (Gov. za, 2017); and the South African Schools Act 84 of 1996 (SASA), respectively. Section 15(2) of the Constitution provides for religious observances to be conducted at public schools provided that such observances follow rules made by the appropriate public authorities; are conducted on an equitable basis; and, attendance at them is free and voluntary. The South African Schools Act 84 of 1996 (SASA) entrusts the authority to determine such rules to parents through the School Governing Body (SGB). However, the National Policy on Religion and Education (2003) has generated much confusion around the issue of religious observances, because it imposes a multi-faith approach to religious observances in public schools. It was therefore, rejected by many who viewed it as a usurpation of parents' rights, and an imposition of secularism on schools, while embraced by others, who perceived it as a welcome relief from what they perceived to be learner indoctrination in public schools. The apparent confusion generated by the policy resulted in SGBs adopting a laissez-faire attitude towards religious observances policy design at public schools. For example, some SGBs banished all forms of religious observances from their schools, while others continued with the pre-democracy status quo of single faith religious observances. Against this backdrop, the object of this study was to determine the constructions of SGB members, particularly, parents, on how they realise their constitutionally mandated function of determining religious observances policy at public schools, given such a confusion riddled environment.
Author: Marc D. Stern
Publisher: DIANE Publishing
ISBN: 0788136216
Category : Religion in the public schools
Languages : en
Pages : 53
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Book Description
Explains what the law is on common religious liberty and church-state questions in the public school context. Covers: prayer in the schools; teaching about religion; use of classroom space for student-initiated religious activities; holiday observances; released time programs; physical facilities; dual enrollment; distribution of Gideon bibles or religious literature; scientific creationism; curriculum content; secular humanism; compulsory attendance and religious holidays; dress codes; vaccination requirements; and teachers' rights and responsibilities.
Author: Kristen J. Amundson
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 76
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Book Description
This booklet offers school administrators guidance on the constitutional foundation of religious freedom and the relationship between church and state in the United States. Most of the recent Supreme Court cases dealing with religion in the schools and many current issues in the field are discussed. Questions that administrators may wish to address before considering specific policies are also raised. The booklet's first chapter introduces the basic issues affecting the relationship between religion and public education. Chapter 2 outlines the law and its constitutional basis, focusing on religious freedom, the "Free Exercise" and "Establishment" clauses of the First Amendment, religious activities within schools, aid to religious schools, and freedom of speech. The third chapter reviews the place of religion in the public school curriculum, addressing religious instruction by religious leaders, instruction about religion, and the inclusion of religiously sensitive material in the curriculum. Chapter 4 examines the noncurricular policies of public schools involving religion; it covers religious holidays, religious observances, meetings of extracurricular religious groups or clubs, school district aid to religious schools, and partnerships between schools or districts and religious institutions. Examples, suggestions, guidelines, and policy recommendations related to religion and the schools are interspersed throughout the text. (PGD)
Author: Anne Marie Lofaso
Publisher:
ISBN: 9780615310015
Category : Religion in the public schools
Languages : en
Pages : 132
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Book Description
What does the First Amendment have to do with religion in schools? Is school prayer ever permissible? Can a student religious club meet on school grounds? Is it OK for athletic teams to pray together before games? Can a student wear religious jewelry or clothing to school? Can a teacher teach about religion in history class? Does creationism belong in a science class? Can religious books be assigned in English class? Why do we have days off on religious holidays? Do students have to learn about things that are against their religion? Complete answers - and more - inside this guide.
Author: American Association of School Administrators. Commission on Religion in the Public Schools
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Church and education
Languages : en
Pages : 80
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Book Description
Author: Martha M. McCarthy
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Education
Languages : en
Pages : 200
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Book Description
Focusing on current legal issues in church, state, and school relations, this book examines four critical areas in the controversies surrounding the respective rights of public education and religious education; it then addresses the issues of state aid to and governmental regulation of parochial schools. Court opinions about religious observances and activities in public schools include decisions regarding Bible reading and prayer, the uses of religious holidays and symbols, the religious content of graduation exercises, and the distribution of religious literature in public schools. The author further examines the judicial balancing between the constitutional protections of religious exercise and the government's requirements for compulsory schooling and mandated areas of curriculum. The legal challenges offered to public school curricula are also analyzed, including efforts to introduce the teaching of creationism and to censor instructional materials in public schools. Finally, the book addresses the problems in the relationship of the states and parochial schools by noting the judicial interpretations (both federal and state) regarding the various forms of aid to parochial schools--transportation aid, loans for services, tax relief for parents of parochial school students--and discusses the lawsuits and decisions relevant to the question of the state's authority to regulate parochial schools and home education programs. (JW)
Author: Charles Russo
Publisher: Routledge
ISBN: 1000435288
Category : Education
Languages : en
Pages : 277
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Book Description
This text presents a comparative, cross-cultural analysis of the legal status of religion in public education in eighteen different nations while offering recommendations for the future improvement of religious education in public schools. Offering rich, analytical insights from a range of renowned scholars with expertise in law, education, and religion, this volume provides detailed consideration of legal complexities impacting the place of religion and religious education in public education. The volume pays attention to issues of national and international relevance including the separation of the church and state; public funding of religious education; the accommodation of students’ devotional needs; and compulsory religious education. The volume thus highlights the increasingly complex interplay of religion, law, and education in diverse educational settings and cultures across developing and developed nations. Providing a valuable contribution to the field of religious secondary education research, this volume will be of interest to researchers, academics, and educators with an interest in religion and law, international and comparative education, and those involved with educational policy at all levels. Those more broadly interested in moral and values education will also benefit from the discussions the book contains.
Author: United States. Congress. House. Committee on the Judiciary. Subcommittee on the Constitution
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Political Science
Languages : en
Pages : 672
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Book Description
Author: Charles Haddon Spurgeon
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Baptists
Languages : en
Pages : 256
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Book Description
Author: Paula M. Cooey
Publisher: Westminster John Knox Press
ISBN: 9780664256630
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 150
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Book Description
Building Community Today
