Local Compliance with Supreme Court Decisions: Making Space for Religious Expression in Public Schools

Second, after comparing compliance in eight states with Supreme Court precedents, the Equal Access Act, and U.S. Department of Education guidelines, they observed that, On the one hand, there are school districts that have taken steps to formally implement into their policy manuals two decades worth of Supreme Court rulings, congressional legislation, and executive branch pronouncements governing religious expression in the public schools. In the mere process of exercising these powers, carrying out their sworn duties, and pursuing the policies mandated by legislative bodies, they may focus attention on neglected issues (e.g., administrative duties with regard to gay marriages under state constitutions, privacy rights as affected oy security cameras), stress ideology over pragmatics (e.g., the federal supremacy issue in medical marijuana use), or introduce new concepts and principles through innovative administrative strategies and tactics that stretch traditional boundaries of practice (e.g., scheduling in "spontaneous" student prayer at public school sponsored events).