Editor’s Note: AU invited high school and college students to submit an essay or video responding to this three-part prompt: How are religious extremists and their lawmaker allies attempting to erode church-state separation in public schools? How have communities and advocates addressed this in the past? Moving forward, what could be done to educate others about these threats and mobilize communities to protect church-state separation in public schools? Published below are the first-place essays and links to the first-place videos. (The essays and videos represent the personal views of the authors and do not necessarily represent the views of Americans United.)
HIGH SCHOOL ESSAY FIRST PLACE
Banning books and the Christian Nationalist movement
by Dhruti Pathak
As a child, reading was my escape. Books were more than just stories to me; they were windows into other worlds and perspectives, teaching me empathy and fundamentally shaping the person I would become. My love for books was one of few consistencies in my childhood, and I never imagined I’d see the windows of reading being boarded up for future generations.
However, earlier this year, I learned that a member of my school board was pushing to give our superintendent the authority to unilaterally ban books, bypassing our district’s book review committee. This proposal felt like an attack on the books I loved as well as on the very concept of intellectual freedom — an ideal I had come to cherish after leaving Saudi Arabia, where religious control stifled individual expression. Initially, I protested simply to defend my favorite titles, but I soon realized these book bans were part of a larger movement aimed at intertwining religion and public education to impose a narrow, theocratic worldview.
I saw this most clearly in 2024, when the same school board member invited pastors and another county’s Moms for Liberty chapter to speak at a board meeting, giving them a platform to impose their views on our district. Despite protests from students, parents and educators within the district, our school board ultimately sided with these outside groups. It was a clear signal that our voices didn’t matter as much as their religious agenda, reinforcing the growing influence of religious extremism in our public school system and leaving us voiceless in our own district — an experience that echoed my childhood in Saudi Arabia.
Growing up in Saudi Arabia prior to the rule of Mohammed bin Salman, I witnessed how Wahhabism dictated every aspect of life, including education. The strict government-enforced interpretation of Islam rejected diverse views and enforced a rigid moral code that silenced dissent through censorship. Public schools prioritized preaching Islam over promoting critical thinking. Women were denied education without male approval, leaving them in dependency and silence.
Now, living in Texas, I see a disturbing parallel with Christian Nationalism, which seeks to control education by imposing specific religious values. Just as Wahhabism enforced a singular religious narrative, Christian Nationalists use book bans and biased educational materials like PragerU to teach a revisionist version of history and limit access to diverse perspectives. Proposals like 2023’s Texas Senate Bill 1515, mandating displays of the Ten Commandments in classrooms, mirror the enforcement of strict moral codes in Saudi schools, embedding religious doctrine into public education. Similarly, efforts to marginalize LGBTQ+ identities in American education seek to silence voices that challenge restrictive social norms, thereby advancing the agenda of Christian Nationalists.
This encroachment of religious extremism in public schools is not new. Despite the First Amendment guaranteeing freedom of, or from, religion, efforts to intertwine religious beliefs with education persist. While Engel v. Vitale aimed to end school-sponsored prayer, recent cases like Kennedy v. Bremerton, where the Supreme Court ruled in favor of a football coach leading prayers on the field, have blurred the lines between personal religious expression and state endorsement, creating a fertile ground for Christian Nationalism to further entrench its power in our public schools.
The book bans in my district exemplify how Christian Nationalist ideals infiltrate public education. They don’t just silence authors; they silence students like me, who deserve the right to form our own opinions. To combat this intrusion, we must look to the past for inspiration.
Historically, the defense of church-state separation has been championed by advocates such as Madalyn Murray O’Hair, an atheist activist, who played a pivotal role in legally ending mandatory Bible readings in public schools. In more recent times, civil rights organizations have continued this legacy, fighting to uphold church-state separation in conservative states such as Florida and Texas. These battles illustrate the ongoing struggle to keep public education secular, a crucial safeguard for intellectual freedom amid rising religious extremism.
Moving forward, I believe the solution lies in community organizing and enhanced civic education. We must continue to unite parents, teachers, students and lawmakers who are committed to fighting for our public schools. As proven through the collaboration of various civil rights organizations in the 1960s, which led to the landmark Brown v. Board of Education decision, united voices are instrumental to creating systemic change.
Today, social media can also be utilized as a powerful tool to amplify awareness and mobilize support. Although my efforts against the book bans in my district were unsuccessful, I was amazed by the community I reached. Initially scared to speak out, social media helped me realize I wasn’t alone. As I saw more posts about the policy change and received messages from students wanting to get involved, I began to truly understand the power of coalition building. On the day of the vote, we all wore red, standing together in solidarity and holding signs featuring phrases like “Let Freedom Read.”
That day I found my voice in the diverse crowd of students, parents, teachers and librarians as I spoke to the press, feeling the weight of our collective resolve. In that moment, it became clear that we were not just a group of individuals but a movement, united and determined to be heard.
In addition to community organizing, more comprehensive, nonpartisan and hands-on civic education is vital to combating religious extremists and their lawmaker allies. Through greater use of programs like iCivics and Generation Citizen, which provide interactive tools and relatable lessons on civic concepts and government processes, we can empower the next generation to actively engage in civic life and change the course of our country.
Unlike Saudi Arabia, the United States is a democracy and we have the invaluable opportunity to voice our opinions and participate in our government. By equipping young people with the skills to understand diverse perspectives and engage meaningfully in our democracy, we can forge a future where the only walls we build are those that separate education from indoctrination.
COLLEGE ESSAY FIRST PLACE
Whispers of a different faith
by Krrisha Patel
“What’s that on your forehead?” The question came from across the classroom, where a curious classmate squinted at the small, red bindi on my forehead. It was a symbol of my faith, an intimate connection to my roots, yet here in this classroom, it felt out of place — misunderstood, alien. “It’s part of my religion,” I explained, trying to smile through the discomfort. But behind that smile, a deeper question simmered: In a country that prides itself on religious freedom, why does my faith feel like an anomaly?
Growing up as a Hindu girl in a predominantly Christian community wasn’t easy. It meant enduring puzzled looks, subtle exclusions and, sometimes, outright dismissal of my beliefs. What stung the most wasn’t the ignorance of my peers — it was the quiet endorsement of this ignorance by the very institutions that were supposed to protect me. Public schools, places meant to be inclusive and neutral, often felt like battlegrounds where my religion was tolerated at best and erased at worst.
Take, for example, the Christmas assemblies at school, where the hallways were adorned with nativity scenes and students performed Christian carols like “Silent Night.” While my classmates joined in the festivities, I felt excluded in a space that seemed to celebrate one faith while neglecting others. This focus on Christian traditions made me question whether my own heritage had a place in a school meant to embrace all religions.
These experiences underscore a larger, more insidious issue: the erosion of the separation between church and state in public schools. When religious displays and activities are woven into the fabric of public education, they send a clear message about whose beliefs are valued and whose are not. For students like me — students who don’t fit into the Judeo-Christian mold — this message can be alienating, even harmful.
The concept of separating church and state is rooted in the First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution, which was designed to ensure that government remains neutral in religious matters.
This principle was fiercely debated during the early days of the American republic, as religious groups fought for influence in public life. The landmark case of Everson v. Board of Education (1947) was pivotal in affirming this separation, as the Supreme Court ruled that public funds could not be used to support religious activities. Yet, as the decades have passed, the lines between church and state have become increasingly blurred.
Historical examples abound where the church-state divide has been tested. During the 1920s, the Scopes “Monkey” Trial highlighted the clash between modern science and religious dogma in American schools. The trial centered on whether a teacher could legally teach evolution, reflecting a broader conflict between progressive education and conservative religious views. Despite the trial’s outcome, the debate over religion’s role in public education continued, with varying degrees of influence over time.
More recently, the push for religious symbols in public spaces has echoed past controversies. In 2014, the Supreme Court case Hobby Lobby Stores, Inc. v. Burwell addressed whether for-profit corporations could refuse to provide certain contraceptive coverage based on religious beliefs. The court’s ruling favored the corporation’s religious objections, highlighting how religious considerations increasingly intersect with legislative and corporate policies. Such decisions underscore a growing trend where personal beliefs influence public policy, often at the expense of minority perspectives.
It’s in the textbooks, too. In history class, we learned about the Pilgrims and the Puritans, about the “city upon a hill” and the moral mission of America. But where were the stories of my ancestors, of the great Hindu sages and scholars, of the contributions of non-Christian cultures to this country? They were missing, erased, as if my heritage didn’t matter. As if my story wasn’t part of the American story.
The erasure of minority perspectives is not a new phenomenon. During the early 20th century, Japanese-American students faced discrimination in schools where they were often subjected to derogatory stereotypes and forced assimilation practices. The internment of Japanese Americans during World War II further marginalized these communities, stripping away their cultural identity and reinforcing a narrative of exclusion.
Today, we’re seeing a surge of legislation aimed at blurring the lines between religion and public education. From the proposals to replace school counselors with religious chaplains to the push for “In God We Trust” signs in classrooms, these efforts represent a dangerous shift towards religious indoctrination in spaces that should remain secular.
This isn’t just a battle for religious minorities like myself. It’s a battle for the very soul of our democracy. When one religion is given precedence in public schools, it paves the way for discrimination and exclusion. It teaches students that conformity is more important than diversity and that their worth is tied to how well they fit into the dominant religious narrative. This is not the America I believe in.
What can be done to counter these threats? How do we ensure that public schools remain places of inclusion and respect for all? The answer lies in education — not just for students, but for communities at large. We need to raise awareness about the importance of church-state separation and the dangers of religious favoritism in public institutions. We need to empower students to speak out against religious coercion, to demand that their beliefs are respected. And most importantly, we need to remind lawmakers that their duty is to all citizens, not just those who share their faith.
For me, it’s about ensuring that future generations of all backgrounds don’t have to feel like outsiders in their own schools. And it’s about reclaiming the promise of America, a promise that all are created equal, regardless of their faith.
Historically, women from marginalized communities have often been silenced or overlooked. My journey is not just about challenging religious discrimination but also about asserting my right to be seen and valued as a woman of color, as an individual with a unique cultural identity.
In the end, religious freedom is all about the right to be different, and the right to belong.
Sources
Larson, E. J. (1997). Summer for the Gods: The Scopes Trial and America’s Continuing Debate Over Science and Religion. Basic Books.
“The Scopes Trial (1925).” History.com.
Everson v. Board of Education, 330 U.S. 1 (1947). Justia.
Hobby Lobby Stores, Inc. v. Burwell, 573 U.S. 682 (2014). Oyez.
Daniels, R. (1993). Prisoners Without Trial: Japanese Americans in World War II. Hill and
Wang.
“Japanese American Internment Camps.” National Park Service.
“In God We Trust in Public Schools.” Americans United for Separation of Church and State.
“The Struggle for Equal Rights: Women in the United States.” Library of Congress.
AU Student Contest video winners
HIGH SCHOOL FIRST PLACE
Elijah Norris is a high school student from Griffin, Georgia. Elijah’s video explores what real religious freedom means, using historical examples and current events.
COLLEGE FIRST PLACE
Aahan Bajpai is a college student at Purdue University. Aahan’s video looks at the separation of church and state from the perspective of someone practicing a minority religion in the United States.