Summary Of The Court Case Of West Virginia State Board Of Education V. Barnette

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West Virginia State Board of Education v. Barnette The court case West Virginia State Board of Education V. Barnette, citation 319 US 624 (1943), was a court case heard by the Stone Court and the federal district court. In this court case, The West Virginia Board of Education was demanding the “flag salute be part of the program of activities in all public schools. All teachers and pupils were required to honor the Flag; refusal to salute was treated as ‘insubordination’ and was punishable by expulsion and charges of delinquency” (“West Virginia State Board of Education v. Barnette,” n.d.). Objections to this requirement were made by parents and teachers signifying that the salute was similar to that of Hitler’s during the Holocaust. Failure …show more content…

The Court ruled in favor of the Hazelwood School District in a 5-3 vote. “The Court held that the First Amendment did not require schools to affirmatively promote particular types of student speech” (“Hazelwood School District v. Kuhlmeier,” n.d.). Since the paper was sponsored by the school, the school is able to approve what is and what is not published. The papers publishing was limited to the school, therefore, articles were subject to editing by the school and its course requirements. The articles written by high school students is significant in that the students are held to the schools policies and what the school deems as …show more content…

Vitale,” n.d.). The final hearing was in favor of Engel in a 6-1 decision. The prayer may have been nondenominational and voluntary, however, it still promotes religion in school. “This was the first in a series of cases in which the Court used the establishment clause to eliminate religious activities of all sorts, which had traditionally been a part of public ceremonies” (“Engel v. Vitale,” n.p.). This is a significant court case in that many Americans still believe that religion and prayer should play a role in school. However, religion in schools is deemed unconstitutional and violates the establishment of religion clause under the First