Taking a Day off to Pray: Closing Schools for Religious Observance in Increasingly Diverse Schools

States and public schools across the Nation consistently debate the number of days students must be in attendance, the length of the day, and the configuration of those days to maximize learning opportunities. Establishing the school calendar within each state’s statutory minimum can be challenging as many states still maintain somewhat traditional (albeit antiquated) calendars, which commence the school year around Labor Day and conclude shortly after June begins.1 Public schools are generally in session for 180 school days. Some states have been more creative in their scheduling by reducing the number of days required of student attendance in favor of expanded school days, citing reduced costs. Attempting to schedule 180 school days in the period of late August through early June does not provide schools with much flexibility should they be required to close for exigent circumstances such as inclement weather. Providing students with additional days off for holidays and religious observances only increases the complexity of meeting the required number of school days in a respective state given these calendar constraints

When Speech Is Your Stock in Trade: What Kennedy v. Bremerton School District Reveals about the Future of Employee Speech and Religion Jurisprudence

Coaches play an important role in establishing a nondiscriminatory environment in public-school athletics, both on and off the field. In addition to the duties associated with training a team for athletic competition, coaches, like teachers, are hired to communicate with players and spectators both verbally and demonstratively. Coaches are expected to not only teach sports techniques, but also teach character, leadership, sportsmanship, and other positive character traits. In Kennedy v. Bremerton School District, courts from the district level to the Supreme Court have considered how Coach Joe Kennedy\u27s role as a coach factored into his right to pray on the 50-yard line directly following his team\u27s high school football games. This Article reviews Kennedy v. Bremerton School District, from its inception through its current status, including the significance of Justice Alito\u27s concurring opinion issued in conjunction with the United States Supreme Court\u27s denial of Coach Kennedy\u27s Petition for Writ of Certiorari. After discussing the underlying facts, Part I provides an overview and analysis of the district and circuit courts\u27 rulings focusing particularly on the relationship between employee speech and the First Amendment religion clauses. Part II discusses the implications of Justice Alito\u27s concurring opinion in denying Coach Kennedy\u27s petition. And finally, Part III discusses the future of religious speech jurisprudence for public school employees, now that Justices Gorsuch and Kavanaugh are on the Supreme Court bench

White, queer and female: using intersectionality as a tool for teaching social justice in the Deep South

In this critical autoethnography, I discuss and critically reflect on some of my personal identities, specifically being a white, queer woman in the Deep South of the United States, that inform how I interact with the world and my students. I then discuss how the interplay of these identities has led me to particular pedagogical strategies for teaching social justice. In particular, as a white scholar, I seek to decentre whiteness in my teaching. To this end, I ask student to reflect on their own intersecting identities to create empathy and perspective, to investigate the experiences of others to create understanding and ultimately to plan and implement actions that disrupt systems of power and oppression. I conclude this piece with opportunities for action, particularly when working with educational leadership students

Taking a Day off to Pray: Closing Schools for Religious Observance in Increasingly Diverse Schools

States and public schools across the Nation consistently debate the number of days students must be in attendance, the length of the day, and the configuration of those days to maximize learning opportunities. Establishing the school calendar within each state’s statutory minimum can be challenging as many states still maintain somewhat traditional (albeit antiquated) calendars, which commence the school year around Labor Day and conclude shortly after June begins.1 Public schools are generally in session for 180 school days. Some states have been more creative in their scheduling by reducing the number of days required of student attendance in favor of expanded school days, citing reduced costs. Attempting to schedule 180 school days in the period of late August through early June does not provide schools with much flexibility should they be required to close for exigent circumstances such as inclement weather. Providing students with additional days off for holidays and religious observances only increases the complexity of meeting the required number of school days in a respective state given these calendar constraints