Abstract
The author explores the legal framework and practical measures adopted in French state secondary schools in four examples of religious expression (school chaplaincy, dietary requirements, absenteeism for religious reasons and the wearing of religious symbols). The exclusion of religion from schools in France, advocated by some teachers, is neither legal nor realistic. However, even if dispensations or special treatment are granted to pupils, this does not imply a positive and complete recognition of the place of religion in state schools. Religious affiliation is taken into account on a case-by-case basis, sometimes arbitrary, that conceals an implicit hierarchy of religions, whereas the Law of Separation of 1905 was intended to guarantee equality among religions, without consideration of their numerical, historical or symbolic importance.