Donald Trump announces plan to protect prayer in public schools

Originally published in My Christian Daily

President Donald Trump has unveiled a new initiative to safeguard the right of students to pray in public schools, promising updated federal guidance through the Department of Education in the coming weeks.

Speaking at the Museum of the Bible in Washington on Monday, Trump described the move as a response to what he called “grave threats to religious liberty” in America’s classrooms. “We are bringing back prayer into our schools,” he told the audience, pledging that students will be protected if they choose to pray during the school day.

- Advertisement -

The forthcoming guidelines, Trump said, will clarify and strengthen existing protections for voluntary, student-led prayer. While details of the policy have not yet been released, the president emphasised that the rules will prevent schools from discouraging or penalising religious expression.

Alongside the school initiative, Trump launched a new nationwide campaign called “America Prays”. The effort encourages Americans to gather weekly in small groups for prayer, with the White House planning to distribute a prayer booklet ahead of the nation’s 250th anniversary of independence next year.

As part of the announcement, Trump donated his family Bible to the Museum of the Bible, underscoring what he described as a call to restore faith to America’s public life.

Trump’s plan quickly reignited debate over the role of religion in public schools. Landmark Supreme Court decisions in the 1960s, including Engel v Vitale and Abington v Schempp, prohibited school-sponsored prayer, citing the First Amendment’s separation of Church and state.

However, students are already permitted to pray privately, form religious clubs, and express their faith on a voluntary basis.

- Advertisement -

Civil liberties groups warned the new guidance could push the boundaries of constitutional limits. “Any attempt to blur the line between voluntary student prayer and school-endorsed prayer risks coercion and violates long-standing precedent,” said one legal analyst.

Supporters, however, hailed the move as a defense of Judeo-Christian values and an affirmation of religious freedom. Conservative groups praised the president for taking action where previous administrations, in their view, had fallen short.

The Department of Education has not yet published the new guidelines, leaving open questions about enforcement, scope, and how disputes will be handled at the school level. Observers expect potential court challenges once the policy is made public.