In the Sante Fe case, the Supreme Court found that a school board's prayer policy at athletic events was unconstitutional, in part because the only choice given to the students was to pray or not to pray. The letter explains that the Sante Fe ruling is a limited ruling. Staver explained that the purpose of the letter is to clarify the rights of students to pray in Public schools. Staver noted that he was concerned by an Associated Press article that was picked up by many newspapers on the day of the Sante Fe decision which indicated that the court ruling may be so broad as to call into question even a moment of silence. The joint letter emphasizes that students have the right to pray and read their Bibles or other religious materials as part of a student group, pray before meals, before tests, individually or as a group and even to pray individually or as a group before a sporting event.
Students also have the right to persuade, proselytize or discuss religious topics with their peers.
Students have the right to use religious themes, and express their beliefs about religion in their homework, artwork, or other written or oral assignments. Students also have the right to distribute literature during non-instructional times, or to wear clothing displaying religious themes or messages. Staver also pointed out that students may spontaneously present a religious message at an athletic event or at graduation. Staver noted that the Santa Fe case was more about a policy that gave students a microphone only on the condition that the students agreed to pray. Outside of this narrow limitation, students still have the right to pray.