Trump Education Department Increases Protections for Prayer in Schools

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The U.S. Department of Education has issued new guidance reinforcing the right of students, teachers, and school officials to pray in public schools as an expression of individual faith, as long as they are not doing so on behalf of the school. The guidance also makes clear that public schools may not sponsor prayer or coerce students to pray. This move is part of the Trump administration's efforts to protect religious liberty in public schools.

Why it matters

This guidance is part of a broader push by the Trump administration and some Republican state legislators to increase the role of religion, particularly Christianity, in public education. While the Supreme Court has ruled that school-sponsored prayer violates the Constitution, the new guidance aims to expand protections for individual religious expression in public schools.

The details

The new guidance calls on school officials to 'allow the individuals who make up a public school community to act and speak in accordance with their faith, provided they do not invade the rights of others, the school does not itself participate in religious action or speech as an institution, and the school does not favor secular over religious views or one religious view over another.' It cites recent Supreme Court rulings that have found certain forms of religious expression in public schools to be constitutionally protected.

• The guidance was issued by the U.S. Department of Education on February 5, 2026.
• President Trump had previewed the guidance in September 2025 while speaking at a Religious Liberty Commission hearing.

What they’re saying

What’s next

The administration expects legal challenges from Democrats over the new guidance, but believes it will prevail in court based on recent Supreme Court rulings.