Religion And The First Amendment Essay

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Religion and the First Amendment A teacher assigned students to write an essay and submit a pictorial depiction on someone they considered to be their hero. One student turned in an essay saying Jesus was his hero and he drew a picture of The Last Supper. The teacher has a practice of displaying all student work in the classroom. Examining the Bill of Rights and past court cases will shed light on how the assignment should be graded and displayed along with how the First Amendment can be applied to this situation.
Legal Issues Regarding Grading of Assignment One of a citizen’s most protected rights is their freedom of speech (Lunenburg, 2011). When a student submits an assignment on their hero, it becomes a direct extension of this right. Teachers must respect students’ rights to freedom of speech and religion when it comes to grading (Wicht, 2014). The Free Exercise Clause in the First Amendment allows citizens to practice any religion they choose in any appropriate way (www.law.cornell.edu). As long as the student does not …show more content…

Allowing children to see their work displayed helps encourage them to form their own opinions and learn how to communicate thoughts appropriately (Perry-Hazan, 2015). The student’s essay and portrait about Jesus symbolizes his or her opinion. While many would say this crosses boundaries separating church and state, the law states that symbolic speech is a First Amendment right, even if others find it offensive (Texas v. Johnson, 1989). In order to display the work, the teacher must remain unbiased (Wicht, 2014). Clearly designating the area as “Student Work” will eliminate the idea that it is the school or teacher’s view (Wicht, 2014). Since the student is not attempting to disrupt or alter other students’ opinions, the First Amendment protects his or her freedom of speech and religion (Perry-Hazan,

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