clause, from soliciting or encouraging religious activity, and from participating in such activity with students (Staver, 2000). Teachers are limited by the Establishment Clause to actively endorsing or promote a religious viewpoint. Teachers do not have the right to pray with students or in front of students, whether it is student initiate and student led or not.Teachers may exercise the right to wear religious clothing and jewelry, but to a limited degree. Like the students in Tinker v. Des Moines Independent School District, as it relates to wearing religious clothing or jewelry, a teacher has some restrictions imposed by the Establishment Clause. If the content of the message is not religious, a teacher probably has greater latitude to wear clothing with an inscribed message. However, the First Amendment Establishment Clause places certain restrictions on a teacher with respect to promoting religion. The more objective the writing without promoting a religious view, the more likely the teacher is able to wear the article of clothing or jewelry. If the school allows teachers to wear clothing with secular words or symbols or secular jewelry, then the school probably cannot prohibit a teacher from wearing clothing with religious words or jewelry with religious connotations. For example, if a school permits teachers to wear t-shirts on a particular day supporting the various student clubs, then the school must also allow teachers to wear t-shirts supporting Christian clubs with Christian words and insignia. However, unlike a student who may consistently wear a t-shirt with the message, "Jesus died for you," a school could probably prohibit a teacher from consistently displaying the same message except in specific circumstances (Staver, 2000). Teachers have the right to teach about religion. Public schools may not provide religious instruction, but they may teach about religion, including the Bible or other scripture: the history o...
