Education law expert Jim Castagnera will explain what the First Amendment’s religious “establishment” and “free exercise” provisions mean, according to the Supreme Court and the U.S. Department of Education. You will learn how to establish appropriate policies and practices for holidays in your school.
Topics Covered
- Is prayer acceptable during non-instructional time? Classes?
- May students organize prayer groups and religious activities?
- Are moments of silence acceptable during student assemblies?
- How should you handle religious objections to policies?
- How must attendance policies accommodate religious activities?
- What are the Title VII religious-discrimination rights of school employees?
Training Overview
What holidays will your school celebrate? Without promoting religion, you must allow students to celebrate them all.
The recent Supreme Court ruling in Kennedy v. Bremerton School District may affect how you handle religious holidays this year. With the holiday season fast approaching, you need to be prepared to accommodate the religious rights of students, families, and staff members.
It is easy to make missteps during December, a month with a plethora of holidays, including:
- Christmas
- Hanukkah
- Kwanzaa
- Rohatsu
- Feast Day of Our Lady of Guadalupe
- Winter Solstice
- Zarathosht Diso
Religious expression has been hotly contested in public schools. The First Amendment prohibits government entities, including schools, from establishing religion and from interfering with its free exercise.
- Is prayer acceptable during non-instructional time? Classes?
- May students organize prayer groups and religious activities?
- Are moments of silence acceptable during student assemblies?
- How should you handle religious objections to policies?
- How must attendance policies accommodate religious activities?
- What are the Title VII religious-discrimination rights of school employees?
Who Should Attend?
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Expert Presenter
Dr. James Ottavio Castagnera
- Member and the Chief Consultant of Holland Media Services LLC, a communications and training company with offices in Philadelphia and Los Angeles
- Member of Portum Group International LLC, a cybersecurity and privacy consulting firm in Philadelphia
- Of Counsel to Washington International Business Counsel
- Adjunct Professor of Law in the Kline School of Law at Drexel University
- 10 years as a labor, employment, and intellectual property attorney with Saul Ewing Arnstein & Lehr
- 23 years as associate provost and legal counsel for academic affairs at Rider University
- Holds an M.A. in Journalism from Kent State University
- J.D. and Ph.D.from Case Western Reserve University