Dogmatically specific religious instruction or worship in schools doesn't bother me much, but forced acquiescence to and/or participation (active or passive) in any specific theological rite of not one's preference does bother me.
For instance:
My alma mater is an Episcopal school, and in my day there, each day began with prayers and reflection and Sunday chapel was required. All worship was, of course, Episcopalian. The school is still Episcopal and it continues to emphasize the need for spirituality. Chapel remains a required activity; however, in recognition of the religious diversity of the student body these days, the school offers Chapel services, once purely Episcopalian, in accordance with one's chosen catechism, be it Christian, Jewish, Muslim, Buddhist, some other tradition. (The same approach exists at the other sectarian "St. Grottlesex" schools.")
Atheists and agnostics have to "get over it," or sample the offerings -- actually, any student can do that; the requirement is to attend chapel, not to attend the chapel associated with one's declared faith -- or attend a school that doesn't require students to participate in some sort of faith-based services. The school's position is that it doesn't matter what god or gods one worships, so long as one take the time to actually develop spiritually.
I'm okay with that because based on my own review of the key tenets of most major religions, it seems to me that there aren't really any "bad religions." There are only bad people who ascribe to and promote repugnant interpretations and applications of religious dogma.
I think public schools can find a way of having a "religious moment" each morning. For example (the times are just for illustrative purposes):
- 7:00 a.m. --> Students report to their designated worship location
- Gym: Whatever faith has the largest representation in the school reports here, solely because of space considerations
- Library --> Adherents to some other faith or non-faith
- Teacher's lounge --> Adherents to yet another faith/non-faith
- Room 312 --> Adherents to some other faith/non-faith report here
- Room 222 --> Yet another group does its thing here
- Room ......
- Birdbath in the courtyard --> Animists of some stripe can gather here to worship the bluejays or something
- 7:05 --> Room doors lock. Late students earn demerits and are then admitted.
- 7:06 --> Worship (or "whatever" non-religious discourse, maybe ethics or something, if it's the "atheist" room) session commences
- 7:30 -7:45 --> Worship concludes. Teachers and students arrive in their respective homerooms by 7:45. From there the school day can take on roughly the same schedule as usual.
- Since Muslims pray at midday, lunch "period" can be lengthened for all students -- an hour and a half like many a business lunch seems enough -- and that would allow Muslim kids to get in their Zuhr prayers and still have time for lunch.
- A mid-afternoon "break" period could be established. Most kids would likely do "whatever;" however, Muslims would use that time for Asr prayers.
- "Sometime after the mid-afternoon break" --> Scholastic day ends and kids do whatever day-hop students do -- athletics, clubs, drama, rehearsal, make out behind the bleachers, engage in youthful mischief and mayhem, go home, etc. -- once classes are done.
Some sort of structured schedule such as the above would be okay with me. Kids and teachers do their worshiping and nobody is made to sit through a worship moment that doesn't sit well with them.
If school systems are of a mind to offer worship services of some sort, so long as they offer services appropriate to all, includes everyone and leaves out nobody, there is surely a way to do so. All it takes is a little thought and the will to make it happen.
