Caleigh Wood v. Evelyn Arnold, et al.

For the past several decades, courts have struggled to determine when public schools may permissively teach about religion and when public schools cross the line and offend the First Amendment. In the decision below, the Fourth Circuit held that a public school may require students to write and declare the existence of a particular god and to recite prayer in written format. The Fourth Circuit reached this conclusion due to the public school’s assertion that requiring the religious practices bore a pedagogical basis. The questions presented are:

1. Whether the Establishment Clause permits a public school to make preferential statements about one religion over another under Lemon v. Kurtzman, 403 U.S. 602 (1971)?

2. Whether a public school may require a student to assert religious beliefs and recount a prayer that offends the student’s religious convictions as part of a homework assignment?