NATCHEZ — Students in Natchez public schools will soon have the freedom to organize religious groups and activities, officially pray before football games and graduation ceremonies and express their religious beliefs in class assignments.

But students who hope to take the stage at public events must meet a variety of qualifications and criteria set by the school district.

Mississippi Senate Bill 2633 requires all school districts to adopt a policy to allow a “limited public forum” at school events to let students express their religious beliefs. The bill becomes law July 1.

Natchez-Adams School District Board of Trustees members adopted its policy last week, which Superintendent Frederick Hill said was identical to a model policy included in the bill.

“We have to make sure we’re giving students the opportunity to provide some religious expression before major events and other activities we deem as important,” Hill said. “And if someone comes up and wants to pray to a God outside of our religious beliefs, we have to give them that opportunity.”

The district’s policy includes a variety of stipulations, such as a requirement for district officials to issue a disclaimer before the ceremonies or events to clarify that the viewpoints expressed by the students do not represent the district.

Another requirement is that Hill, or a designee, must identify students who will participate prior to public events.

Only students in the highest two grade levels of the school and who have one of the following positions of honor are eligible to use the limited public forum for non-graduation events, such as football games or opening announcements for the school day.

•Student council officers

•Class officers of the highest-grade level in the school

•Captains of the football team

•Other students holding positions of honor that the district may designate

Two students who are graduating will be allowed to speak at graduation ceremonies — one before and one at the end — if they meet the following requirements:

•Student council officers

•Class officers of the graduating class

•Top three academically ranked graduates

•Other student leaders the district may designate

The policy also allows students to express their religious beliefs in homework, artwork and other written and oral assignments free from discrimination based on the religious content.

Those assignments will still be graded by ordinary academic standards, and students may not be penalized or rewarded because of the religious content.

Students can also organize prayer groups, religious clubs, “see you at the pole” gatherings and other similar events before, during and after school to the same extent students are permitted to organize other non-curricular student activities and groups.

For all religious presentations, the policy states that a student must not engage in obscene, vulgar, offensively lewd or indecent speech.

“We need to make sure we’re not tampering with the expressions they want to provide, but the only limitation is that it can’t be lewd or vulgar,” Hill said. “The key thing is being able to provide the opportunities for these students to express their religious beliefs.”

The policy will go into effect in the upcoming 2013-2014 school year.