Constitutional Law
Chapter 12 -
Part 4
Putting It Into Practice
1. Review the facts found in Living with the Constitution at the beginning of the chapter. Assume that you represent Peter and Julie Jacobs, parents of two children attending Simonds Elementary School. They object strongly to the inclusion of religious songs in the program and have retained a law firm to seek an injunction to stop or at least limit the performance. Draft a letter to be sent from the law firm to the school principal, Terry Bannon, demanding that there be no religious content in the program.
Student answers will vary. Students may choose to include an analysis of the words to “Silent Night” and determine they have a religious content; or students may choose to discuss cases that have removed practices that were considered religious from public schools (e.g., Engel v. Vitale, School Dist. V. Schempp, and Murray v. Curlett, among others).
2. Create a design for a Christmas holiday display to be placed in the local city headquarters. The mayor of the city has made it clear that she wants the display to represent the true spirit of Christmas, including some appropriate religious symbols.
Student answers will vary, but students should refer to cases that have determined what is considered an “appropriate” religious symbol.