For Immediate Release

Angela Allmond, Communications Director
Oklahoma Democratic Party
angela@okdemocrats.org

Public School Students Deserve Religious Freedom During School

OKLAHOMA CITY, OK, — November 29, 2023 – Religious freedom is a fundamental human right that encompasses the right of individuals to practice their religious beliefs without unwanted enforcement and indoctrination from individuals, groups, and institutions.

Students have the fundamental right not to be forced to participate in or listen to one single religious prayer while attending a public school. Oklahoma Superintendent of Public Instruction believes that prayer, from one religious theology, should be the catalyst for all students, incorrectly stating that it denies religious freedom if not allowed.

Students are not denied the right to pray, nor are they denied the right to their own beliefs by not allowing prayer in school. Individuals have the right to believe in any religion or hold no religious beliefs at all. By forcing prayer in school, students who are not of the same belief or have no religious faith are subject to beliefs they do not follow.

No one should be treated unfairly or disadvantaged due to their religious convictions. The Oklahoma Democratic Party supports the rights of public school students not to be forced to hear prayer in schools and still be able to hold their own religious beliefs without discrimination.

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For more information about the Oklahoma Democratic Party, visit the party website at okdemocrats.org, or call party headquarters at 405-427-3366.