DOE Announces New Rule Regarding Religious Liberty, School Prayer Guidance
January 16, 2020
U.S. Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos announced several new steps “to protect religious liberty and ensure the Department is acting in accordance with the first amendment, according to a press release from the U.S. Department of Education (DOE). The proposed new rule would address “five general areas of importance to religious organizations, faith-based institutions, and their students,” in an effort to “implement President Trump’s Executive Order 13831, Executive Order on the Establishment of a White House Faith and Opportunity Initiative.” Separately, the DOE also plans to issue “updated guidance on constitutionally protected prayer in public elementary and secondary schools,” which is required every two years by the Every Student Succeeds Act and its predecessor, the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965.