'Our Father in Heaven': A Legal Analysis of the Recitation of the Lord's Prayer by Public School Coaches

The Establishment Clause of the First Amendment to the U. S. Constitution sets forth the separation of church and state required in public schools. That clause has been interpreted in a lengthy history of U. S. Supreme Court decisions. Nevertheless, accommodating one person's right of religious expression while not infringing on another person's right to be free from religious coercion in our nation's public schools continues to be a source of spirited debate. In this article, the authors summarize relevant decisions of the Supreme Court and extend the discussion to the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals' decision in "Doe v. Duncanville Independent School District" in which a public school coach led team members in prayer prior to a school-sponsored athletic contest.