Prayer at public school

Should everybody at public school be forced to pray?  To which god?  What if they don't believe in god?  What do you think?

I don't mean private schools or Christian schools, when I ask this question.  I think the expectations are clear that if a child were to attend one of these, then they are expected to fit into the culture of that school.  And it can be expected that Christian schools would want people to pray, Buddhist schools expect people to chant, etc.

But public schools cater to the masses.  Children whose parents cannot afford the cost of private schooling are sent to these schools, since schooling is compulsory.  They go to the school that is assigned to them, often based on the geographical area of where they live.  Should such children be forced to pray?

A story in today's Sun-Herald set me thinking.

The article spoke of a parent who pulled out his child, not because he was anti-religious, but because he thought the practice not to be inclusive for everybody.  He thought that scripture classes or prayer groups within the school can have prayer time, but not during the school assemblies where everybody is expected to attend.  But the majority of the parents in that school voted to retain prayer in the school assemblies.

Another school said there would be no way that Christian prayer would be conducted at their school assembly, since that school was 90% Muslim.

Yet another school runs it such that sometimes, the children would pray to Allah.  At other times, they would read Sanskrit text, and at yet other times, sing Christian hymns and practice meditation.  This school thinks that the exposure to the religious practices of a multicultural society would be good for the children.

What do you think?

Should governments segregate swimming pools and prayer rooms so to satisfy the requests of the Muslim community?  Should there be combined prayer time or separate ones?  Why even have prayer time at all?  How should public schools run with regards to this aspect?