WASHINGTON (AP) —President Trump says new guidance on school prayer is expected soon.
The president made the announcement Monday during remarks at a meeting of the White House Religious Liberty Commission. He said the Education Department will issue new guidance “protecting the right to prayer in our public schools.”
Public schools have been barred from leading students in classroom prayer since 1962, when the Supreme Court said it violated the First Amendment. But the Education Department has long promoted guidance saying students can pray together during lunch and other free times.
Trump issued revised guidance on the topic in 2020 that largely mirrored what was already on the books. Former President Joe Biden’s administration made minor changes in 2023, saying schools can take “reasonable steps” to ensure students aren’t pressured to participate in prayer.
During his campaign in 2023, Trump said he would support “bringing back prayer to our schools.
Trump administration announces ‘America Prays’ initiative
During the president’s speech, Secretary of Housing and Urban Development Scott Turner detailed plans to infuse prayer with celebrations of the United States’ 250th anniversary next year.
He said the “America Prays” initiative would try to get 1 million people a week to pray for the country.
“This about the miracles that would take place over the next year,” Turner said.
When Turner finished, Trump finished his speech and said “we will never apologize for our faith.”