Which case banned devotional Bible readings in public schools?

• A. Abington School District v. Schempp (1963)
• B. Engel v. Vitale (1962)
• C. Wallace v. Jaffree (1985)
• D. Lynch v. Donnelly (1984)

Answer: (A)

This question tests how the Establishment Clause limits religious activities in public schools. Abington School District v. Schempp (1963) held that requiring or supervising devotional Bible readings in public schools violates the First Amendment, because it amounts to government endorsement of religion and coerces students to participate in religious exercises, even if participation is technically voluntary. This ruling follows the reasoning from Engel v. Vitale (1962), which struck down state-sponsored daily prayers in public schools as unconstitutional. The other cases touch on related issues—Engel concerns prayer in schools, Wallace v. Jaffree addresses a moment of silence or school prayer with a religious purpose, and Lynch v. Donnelly deals with the display of religious symbols in public spaces—rather than the specific practice of devotional Bible readings in the school setting.