independent school districts in US governed by locally elected boards of education: 1942: 108,579 1952: 67, 346 1962: 34,678 1972: 15,781 1982: 15,032 1992: 14,721
above constitute about 90% of public school systems...in 1992, there were another 1492 school districts run by states (all in Hawaii, some in Alaska & Maine) or subordinated to county (as in Virginia & North Carolina) or municipal (as in New York City & Chicago) governments...
*Engel v Vitale* was 1962, but you can go to schools in districts near where I live in Central Florida (I bet this is true elsewhere) and find examples of noncompliance...Supremes struck down Alabama's 'moment of silence' in *Wallace v Jaffree* (1985) although court suggested that state law that did not express that its purpose was to return prayer to schools as Alabama's did would likely be upheld... Michael Hoover