This act prohibits school districts from discriminating against students or parents on the basis of a religious viewpoint or religious expression.

Students are permitted to express their beliefs about religion in homework, artwork, and other written and oral assignments free from discrimination based on the religious content of their submissions, as described in the act.

Public school students may pray or engage in religious activities or religious expression before, during and after the school day in the same manner in which students may engage in nonreligious activities. Religious groups must be given the same access to school facilities for assembling as noncurricular groups. If student groups that meet for nonreligious activities are permitted to advertise or announce meetings, school districts are prohibited from discriminating against any groups that meet for prayer or religious speech.

Public school students may wear clothing, accessories and jewelry that display religious messages or religious symbols in the same manner and extent that other types of clothing, accessories and jewelry that display messages or symbols are permitted.

School districts must adopt a policy to ensure that they do not discriminate against a student's publicly stated voluntary expression of a religious viewpoint and to eliminate any actual or perceived affirmative school sponsorship or attribution to the district of the student's expression of a religious viewpoint. The policy must include the establishment of a limited public forum for student speakers at all school events at which a student is to publicly speak. Additional requirements relating to the establishment of a limited public forum are included in the act.

This act must not be construed to authorize the state or any political subdivision to require any person to participate in prayer or in any other religious activity or violate the constitutional rights of any person. In addition, this act must not be construed to limit the authority of any public school to do any of the following: maintain order and discipline in a content and viewpoint neutral manner; protect the safety of students, employees, and visitors; adopt and enforce policies and procedures regarding student speech at school, provided such policies and procedures do not violate the rights of students as guaranteed by law.

MICHAEL RUFF