Final answer:
School prayer in public schools was banned by the U.S. Supreme Court in 1962 with Engel v. Vitale and reinforced by subsequent decisions such as Abington School District v. Schempp (1963) and Santa Fe Independent School District v. Doe (2000), establishing that school prayer violates the Establishment Clause of the First Amendment.
Step-by-step explanation:
School prayer was effectively banned by the Supreme Court in 1962 with the case of Engel v. Vitale. This ruling was based on the Establishment Clause of the First Amendment, which prohibits the government from making any law respecting the establishment of religion. In Engel v. Vitale, the Court found that requiring students to participate in a non-denominational prayer written by the Board of Regents of the State of New York was unconstitutional. This landmark decision was reinforced in 1963 with the decision in Abington School District v. Schempp, which made school-sponsored Bible readings and the recitation of the Lord's Prayer in public schools unconstitutional.
Subsequently, the Supreme Court continued to uphold the separation of church and state within the public school system in cases like Santa Fe Independent School District v. Doe (2000), ruling that even student-led and student-initiated prayer in public schools violates the Establishment Clause. One notable precedent that contributed to the protection of individual rights in the context of public schools was set in West Virginia State Board of Education v. Barnette (1943), where the Court held that public schools could not compel students to salute the American flag and recite the Pledge of Allegiance.