School Prayer: What Is the History of 'See You at the Pole'

See You at the Pole (SYATP) is a 25-year old movement of prayer in which Christian students from elementary school to college level meet at the school flagpole to pray. The movement began in 1990 with ten Texas students and has spread to more than 3 million participants internationally, according to the Baptist Press.

ALERT: Should Prayer Be Allowed in Public Schools? Vote Now

The news of the original ten students spread to Christian youth leaders in the area. The following month, leaders challenged over 20,000 Christian teens in Dallas to follow the example, ReligiousTolerance.org reported.

The movement maintains it is still a “student-initiated, student-organized, and student-led event.” However, it now follows organizational leadership form See You at the Pole, which determines the typical day, time, and even theme of each year’s SYATP event.

VOTE NOW: Do You Support Prayer in Public Schools?

Since 2006, the kickoff event is always held on the fourth Wednesday in September, usually at 7:00 a.m. In 2013, the organization also created the Global Week of Student Prayer in the fourth week of September also. Baptist Press reports this was to accommodate potential school conflicts on that day.

As the event is held outside of school hours and not under their leadership, it is protected by 1st Amendment rights of freedom of religion and expression. However, the organization is clear it does not want the event to turn into an exercise of free speech.

Doug Clark, event promotion coordinator, told Baptist Press, “What we hope is that See You at the Pole is a launching pad for students being missionaries to their campus … What it’s not intended to be is a demonstration, a show of faith – because Jesus condemns that in Matthew 6.”

URGENT: Should Students Be Allowed to Pray in Public Schools? Vote Here Now!

Related Stories: 

• Prayer in Schools: 7 Key Dates in Debate
  
• 4 Facts About a Muslim Prayer in School Textbooks