This decision did not discourage individual prayer it just made it illegal to make children participate if they did not want to. .
However, school officials have been given the right to intervene if a student's religious speech results in harassment towards another student or group. (ACLU: Church and State par 16) House Speaker, Newt Gingrich, proposed an amendment that stated: .
"Nothing in this Constitution shall be construed to prohibit individual or group prayer in public schools or other public institutions. No person shall be required by the United States or by any state to participate in prayer. Neither the United States nor any state shall compose the words of any prayer said in public schools.".
This Amendment would also give teachers the right to control how, when, and where students could pray. (ACLU: Constitutional Amend.par 2).
Since policies supporting student-led prayer are illegal, the ACLU was forced to file a lawsuit against a school in Louisiana who broadcast student-led prayer at football games if it was not stopped in ten days. (Essex par 7) Also, the U.S. Supreme court ruled recently in the Santa Fe Independent School District v. Jane Doe, that "the delivery of a message over a loud speaker representing the student body under the supervision of school is illegal and in violation of the establishment clause." (Essex par 3).
The First Amendment now contains an Establishment Clause that allows the "Establishment Clause," which allows students the right to private religious speech and it also allows students to participate in group prayer at school just as they would engage in other activity. (Riley: Religious Expression par1) The Establishment Clause also prohibits school officials from organizing prayer at such activities as graduation or baccalaureate ceremonies. (Riley: Religious Expression par 5) While teachers cannot join in religious activities with their students, they have the right to participate in "private religious activity" in places such as the teacher's lounge.