At least 13 large school districts in Oklahoma have told the state superintendent of public instruction they will not obey his order to place a Bible in every classroom and require every teacher to teach from it. Earlier this summer,…
That Ten Commandments law isn’t the worst thing about Louisiana’s ‘Dream Big’ act for public education
Much attention has been given to Louisiana’s House Bill 71 recently signed into law, which requires every public school — including state universities — to prominently display the Ten Commandments in all classrooms. But HB 71 wasn’t the only bill…
Oklahoma schools chief mandates Bibles in every public school classroom
Two days after the Oklahoma Supreme Court swatted down an attempt to use public funds to support a Catholic charter school, the state superintendent of public instruction mandated all public schools have a Christian Bible in the classroom and teach…
Florida’s homeschooling voucher program growing rapidly
The rapid growth of a Florida homeschool voucher initiative says less about its actual popularity than it does about the state’s efforts to undercut public schools, faith leader and education advocate Rachel Gunter Shapard said. “Why is it that we…
Gov. Abbott claims victory on school vouchers but chief critic says he’s counting his chickens before they hatch
The Texas Legislature now stands on the cusp of passing school voucher legislation, thanks to the results of primary runoffs held statewide May 28. Texas Gov. Greg Abbott, a staunch supporter of private school vouchers funded with taxpayer money, declared…
‘The pulpit and the people must see it as our duty and divine calling to condemn the privatization and commodification of public education’
Universal education cannot be protected without grassroots movements led by people of faith, a Florida minister said during the inaugural Pastors for Children national conference. “The pulpit and the people must see it as our duty and divine calling to…
Sorry, Tim Dunn, you are a Christian nationalist
In the land of Lyndon Baines Johnson, George Herbert Bush and George W. Bush, you may not have heard of billionaire Tim Dunn. Although billionaires do seem to grow naturally in Texas. Dunn is among at least 44 known billionaires…
State leaders of Pastors for Children gather to strategize on protecting public education
The first national conference of Pastors for Children was a spiritual and emotional shot in the arm for the organizers of its nine state chapters. “It is inspiring to know the fight we’re facing in North Carolina is happening nationwide…
Settlement means you can ‘say gay’ in Florida schools after all
It turns out you can “say gay” in Florida’s public schools — just so long as you’re not the teacher presenting classroom content. On Monday, March 12, a settlement was announced between the state of Florida and an LGBTQ group…