We have learned that in the US students having obvious behavior such as reading a religious text is very rare. Indeed there is an area where most of Christian’s are concentrated.

Did teachers are allowed to wear any religious sings ?

Are the pledge of allegiance mandatory in the US ?

We're both 17 yo and we study AMC and HGGSP.

So AMC is an english class and HGGSP is like History and politics etc.

• Rules of secularism in French school :

• - school are neutral

• - respect to everyone

• - freedom believe or not

For example we can’t have religious symbol, teacher can’t talk about their religions, Muslim people can’t wear their hijab, we cannot pray at school and we can’t impose or talk about our own religion.

We learned that at your high school you were allowed to pray, but the teacher Are the administration cannot because if they lead or prayer for example example is like A propaganda and an indoctrination.

We also see that in America, you have a majority of Christian and the other religion are not very represented in the society.

~ So we have two questions for you :

• Do you have a difference behavior according to the religions of the students?

• Do you have a lot of diversity at school?

The purpose of the presentation is to explain how France separates religion from public éducation, and how this affect student daily life at school.

In France secularism is a fondamental principal written un 20th century law that separate school and statistique. It means that the French gouvernment must romain neutral toward all religion

Hello, we are Mélina and Emma and we are students in the Jean Vilar high school. Today we will present you how secularism works in France especially in our school.

So, in France the religion and the state are completely separated. Indeed, religion is something that is part of the political sphere. Therefore, the President, the ministers and the deputies can’t talk about religions subjects and can’t give their opinion on it. They can’t show religious symbols when they are in function.

In public schools, religious symbols and debates are forbidden. The teachers can teach religious subjects war, but they cannot give their opinion on it. The student do have the right to wear religious symbols but those have to be discrete and not visible.

With our AMC teachers, we studied the place pf religion in America high school and here is what we learnt so far. Firstly, we heard about the Pledge of Allegiance controversy, as it is a right and not a duty. Yet, students are not forced to recite the Pledge of Allegiance if they don’t want to. They also have the right to wear religious symbols. However, school adults are not allowed to wear or talk about religion since it could be considered as a possible indoctrination of adults over students.

Since we learnt a lot of things in class, we still have two questions to as you :

What do you think about reciting the pledge of allegiance?

What do you think about the difference between our secularism’s system and yours ?

We’re Alexandra and Esteban, we’re 17 years old, and we study at Jean Vilar High School in Meaux, in France.

Today, we’re going to explain how secularism, or laïcité, works in French public schools.

In France, secularism is a really important value. It means the separation between Church and State. This law was created in 1905, and its goal is to make sure that the government and public institutions — like schools stay neutral when it comes to religion.

In public schools, that means students and teachers can’t show their religion.

For example, they can’t wear visible religious symbols like a big cross, a Muslim veil, or a Jewish kippah.

There are also no prayers, and religion isn’t part of school lessons.

The idea isn’t to reject religion — it’s to make school a neutral place, where everyone is equal and respected, whatever their beliefs are.

This can seem surprising to Americans, because in the United States there’s freedom of religion, so people can usually express their beliefs anywhere, even at school.

In France, it’s more about freedom from religion in public spaces — everyone keeps their faith private inside school.

Some French holidays, like Christmas or Easter, are still celebrated, but mostly as cultural traditions, not religious events.

So, to sum up, laïcité in France means that school is a neutral space, where religion stays private, and where everyone is treated equally.

We have 2 questions

Do you have christians lesson in some type of school ?

Do you pray before any types of sports matches likes football, boxing…. ?

One of the most striking aspects of the French public school system is its commitment to the principle of secularism. This principle, deeply rooted in the country's political and cultural history, ensures that public institutions, particularly schools, remain religiously neutral.

Secularism does not mean being against religions, but rather ensuring freedom of conscience : everyone is free to believe or not to believe, without being subject to pressure or influence. In France, you can therefore belong to a religion, practice it, and express your beliefs, whether in the private sphere or in public spaces, as long as it does not disturb public order and you respect the laws and other citizens.

However, in public institutions, such as primary, middle, and high schools, religion must remain a personal matter. This means that one cannot :

- Wear conspicuous religious symbols, such as a headscarf, a kippah, or a large, visible cross. (Students must remove their headscarves, kippahs, or any other visible religious symbols before entering the school. However, small, discreet symbols, such as a small cross worn under clothing, are permitted, as they are not considered ostentatious.)

- Try to convince others to adopt one's religion.

- Organize prayers or religious celebrations in the school.

Secularism also applies to adults who work in the public sector, such as teachers. They must maintain absolute neutrality :

- They may not display any religious symbols, even small ones.

- They must not express their personal opinions on religion or influence students.

- However, religion can be discussed in an educational setting, such as in history, philosophy, or moral and civic education classes, as long as it remains objective, neutral, and respectful.

Questions for you :

1. Do teachers have the right to share their opinions or talk about religion with students?

2. Are students allowed to wear religious symbols at school?

We want to explain how secularism work, in France and in differents context.

In France, people are forbidden to sshowrdligious symbole in the social sphere and in particalury in public because the la want everybody to be equal. But we can wear a hidden symbole of any religion.

For exemple, in scholl any symbole of any rdligious is forbidden and if an adulte think the symbol is to visible, he can expail for the dey because of this. You can't wear hijab, kippa or a christian cross because we are normaly equal, tit's the 3 point in the Franch moto.

We learn about the religious side of hight school in America, we didn't think it was sush a controversal topic for the US.

Do you have a religious side in the time of your lunch to?

Do you are distrub by the fact that adults can't participe at your religious time of the day?