Theocracy Alert: A bill known as the “Georgia Student Religious Liberties Act of 2016” is a dangerous attempt to force official prayer into the public schools.

House Bill 816, also known as Georgia Student Religious Liberties Act of 2016, is a vaguely worded bill that would allow public schools to decide what sort of religious speech is permissible by students, as well as offering a venue for school approved religious speech at official school functions like graduations, sporting events and school pep rallies.

Americans United reports that among its provisions are: “that local school systems shall provide a limited public forum for student speakers at nongraduation and graduation events; [and] to provide a model policy for voluntary religious expression in public schools….”

The Freedom From Religion Foundation observes:

HB 816, the so-called “Georgia Student Religious Liberties Act of 2016,” begins by restating what is already required by the Constitution, that students be allowed to express their personal religious beliefs free from discrimination and pray “to the same extent that students may engage in nonreligious activities or expression.” No one objects to this. The bill then takes a sharp turn toward fostering religious privilege by forcing public schools to allow students to promote their personal religious beliefs at school-sponsored events. The legislators are well aware, of course, that a school forum will be dominated by students from the Christian majority while students who hold minority religious beliefs or practice no religion at all will be effectively silenced. The bill contemplates requiring student speakers at all football games and other athletic events, during morning announcements, at assemblies and pep rallies, and at graduation.

In other words, the legislation is a thinly veiled attempt by Christian conservatives to use the public school system in Georgia to indoctrinate students and promote Christianity.

The legislation is billed as an effort to bring prayer back into the public schools, the insinuation being that students are somehow prohibited from praying while in school. However, this is false. The law does not prevent individual students from praying while at school.

In two landmark decisions, Engel v. Vitale (1962) and Abington School District v. Schempp (1963), the US Supreme Court established what is now the current prohibition on state-sponsored prayer in schools. And while the law does prohibit public schools from conducting religious observances such as prayer, it does not prevent individual students from praying while at school.

Bottom line: The Georgia Student Religious Liberties Act of 2016 is an underhanded attempt by Christian theocrats to circumvent the Supreme Court and the U.S. Constitution by using students to deliver state-sanctioned prayers at public school functions.