Education

Religion in public schools

9 public statements from 2026 candidates

§1The range of views

Why this matters: It touches on families' faith, on the Constitution's rules about religion and government, and on what children experience at school.

Drafted by AI, then checked for neutral wording in a separate AI review. It describes the question and the main positions, not any candidate's view. Facts link to their sources.

Whether public schools can or must post religious texts such as the Ten Commandments, lead prayer or employ chaplains; the Supreme Court has barred school-led prayer since 1962, and in 2026 a federal appeals court upheld a Texas law requiring the Ten Commandments in classrooms, a ruling the Supreme Court has been asked to review.1,2,3

  1. Require religious displays such as the Ten Commandments
  2. Let schools choose to post religious texts, lead prayer or hire chaplains
  3. No school-sponsored prayer or religious displays, while students may pray or share their faith on their own

These options describe policies, not people. The order is not a ranking.

§2What candidates have said

Why this matters: Statements candidates made publicly, summarized in plain words with a link to where they said it. Candidates who haven't spoken publicly on this issue aren't listed.

Drafted by AI from the public sources cited. Each sentence links to its source.

No school-sponsored prayer or religious displays, while students may pray or share their faith on their own (5)

  • Christina Bertrand Hines MI-10
    Her education topic page says she will repel efforts to force religion into public schools because church and state must remain separate.4
  • Josh Smead MO-6
    His campaign website lists keeping religion out of public schools.5
  • Robert C. Vick TN Governor
    His campaign website says he would not support organized prayer in public schools and would never use his office to push his religion on others.6
  • James Talarico TX Senate
    His campaign website says he opposes requiring the Ten Commandments in public school classrooms and would reject policies that bring religion into public settings such as schools.7,8
  • Rachel Fetty Anderson WV Senate
    Her campaign website says officials who place specific religious texts in schools are violating the Constitution.9

Statements that don't match one option (4)

  • Ron Eller MS-2
    His campaign website says he believes the separation of church and state was meant to prevent a mandated religion, not to restrict religion in public places or schools, and says the Mississippi constitution keeps the Bible in public schools.10
  • Mark Cohen NE-3
    His campaign website says he would oppose efforts to set up a religion preferred by the government, including proposals to bring specific religious teachings into public schools.11
  • Cyndi Munson OK Governor
    Her campaign website says she opposed mandating the teaching of the Bible in public schools.12
  • Victor L. Scoggin TN Governor
    His campaign website calls for putting God back in public schools and government buildings.13