TO: School District Superintendents
Charter School Leaders
FROM: Anastasios Kamoutsas
DATE: March 17, 2026
SUBJECT: Constitutionally Protected Prayer and Religious Expression in Public Schools
March 17, 2026
Dear Florida Parents,
Florida remains committed to longstanding constitutional protections for voluntary prayer and religious expression in our public schools. For this reason, I would like to share with you updated guidance (February 5, 2026) from the United States Department of Education (USED) to state and local educational agencies regarding the current law governing prayer and religious expression in public schools. The purpose of this guidance is to update protections regarding prayer and religious expression and replace prior guidance from the Biden administration. This guidance affirms that students, teachers and other school employees retain constitutional rights to religious expression, including individual prayer.
Examples provided by the updated guidance include treating religious speech the same as secular speech. An essay with religious content should be graded with the same grading standards as a secular essay. Religious student organizations should be treated the same as secular student organizations.
To help ensure that students and school staff in Florida’s public schools are able to exercise their rights to religious expression consistent with the law, the Florida Department of Education (FDOE) has launched a dedicated process for individuals to submit complaints if the updated guidance from USED is not properly followed. Each complaint will be promptly reviewed and investigated.
• Individuals may submit complaints to the FDOE Office of Academically Successful & Resilient Districts (ASRD) at FLFaith@fldoe.org.
• FDOE staff will investigate each complaint and communicate with the complainant and the school district or charter school.
• FDOE staff will report any complaints and public legal charges, such as lawsuits filed against a school district or charter school, to USED.
In addition to this new process, FDOE provides other options for you as parents through the Parental Rights page. The Parental Rights page provides information about the Special Magistrate process, how to report educator misconduct and the Attorney General’s Office of Parental Rights.
Florida will continue to safeguard the constitutional protections for voluntary prayer and religious expression in our public schools. We appreciate the essential role you play in your child’s education and look forward to continuing to work together in support of your child’s success.
Sincerely,
Anastasios Kamoutsas