Serious Thoughts & Prayers: A Well-Timed Gift for the Schools You’re Dismantling

By Dr. Tim Slekar

Let’s take a moment to congratulate the administration. In the middle of defunding, demonizing, and destabilizing public education, they’ve announced a timely intervention: more guidance to protect student prayer. And honestly? Schools are going to need all the prayer they can get.

This is billed as a bold move to defend religious liberty. In reality, it’s a recycled performance. Students already can pray—silently, openly, during lunch, before tests, on the playground, in the hall, at the lockers, and yes, even in classrooms as long as it’s not school-sponsored. That’s been true since long before this announcement needed to exist.

But don’t let that get in the way of a good headline. This isn’t about student rights—it’s about shifting the spotlight off the ongoing assault on public schools. You know the one:

• Stripping funds from classrooms
• Elevating private vouchers
• Turning teachers into political targets
• Weaponizing the word “parent” while ignoring actual family needs
• And grinding educators into dust under the weight of compliance and test prep

In that context, yes: prayer is practical. Teachers can now pray the copier works. Counselors can pray the caseload drops below 500. Superintendents can pray the state legislature doesn’t pass another “transparency” bill that treats educators like suspects. And students? They can pray there’s still a school librarian by spring.

Let’s not pretend this was about new protections. This was about culture war choreography. Cheap grace. It costs nothing to announce what’s already allowed, but it plays big with a base that’s been told schools are dens of secular indoctrination.

Meanwhile, we’re bleeding out the real stuff: trust, stability, funding, autonomy. Kids are caught in the crosshairs. Teachers are crawling toward retirement. And the people in charge are busy quoting Scripture and cutting budgets in the same breath.

So yes—serious thoughts and prayers will be needed. Because until public education gets more than symbolism, those prayers might be the only fully funded resource schools have left.