A three-judge panel last week heard oral arguments about a Louisiana law requiring Ten Commandments displays in K-12 and public college and university classrooms. The Jan. 23 hearing in the Fifth U.S. Cricut Court of Appeals in New Orleans came…
‘School choice’ expected to grow under Trump
Conservative Christian activists hope President Donald Trump’s pledge to close the Federal Department of Education and “move everything back to the states” will help them expand “school choice” programs that use taxpayer dollars for vouchers students can use to attend…
Here’s why the new Texas school curriculum is so very, very bad
Last week I spent a day in Austin, Texas, to testify for the second time against the new (and newly named) “Bluebonnet Learning K-5 Reading Language Arts” curriculum. Despite significant opposition, the Bible-infused curriculum was approved, which should be unsurprising…
Sunday schools in public schools?
I grew up going to Sunday school, starting with the “Cradle Roll” department of First Baptist Church of Decatur, Texas, the town where I was born. Like all the kids at that church, when I learned to read, I was…
Ryan Walters orders all Oklahoma schoolchildren to pray for Trump
In Oklahoma, State Superintendent of Public Instruction Ryan Walters is at it again. The man who has made controversial statements about Black history, who promotes a Christian nationalist agenda for curriculum and who demands teachers have Bibles in their classrooms…
Ryan Walters cites states’ rights in call to end U.S. Education Department
Donald Trump’s victory last Tuesday prompted embattled Oklahoma Superintendent of Public Instruction Ryan Walters to prepare parents there for elimination of the U.S. Department of Education. On Thursday, Nov. 7 — two days after the presidential election — Walters sent…
Save this column and don’t say we didn’t warn you
To about half the country, it appears the other half has lost its ever-loving mind. And forgotten how bad things really were in 2020. But here we are again — just like in 2016 — with the most dangerous man…
Ryan Walters faces challenges on two fronts
Oklahoma’s top education official is facing mounting opposition to his directive that every public school classroom have Bibles for teaching Scripture to students. Oklahoma Superintendent of Public Instruction Ryan Walters was sued Oct. 17 by more than 30 faith leaders,…
Only one Bible fits the $3 million bid for Oklahoma classrooms
Update: On Oct. 7, the state of Oklahoma amended the bid document for Bibles in response to massive pushback. Also, one other Bible was identified that meets the original criteria, one promoted by Donald Trump Jr. There’s a new…
In new voucher scheme, Ohio funds construction at private Christian schools
Like several states, Ohio offers residents vouchers to attend private religious schools, a program it launched in 1997. But this year, the state made history by offering grants directly to religious schools for renovating and constructing buildings, so they can…
The shocking things I witnessed at the Texas Board of Education
Recently I traveled to Austin, Texas, to testify against the new curriculum proposed by the Texas Education Agency. This curriculum was orchestrated by TEA’s Commissioner, Mike Morath, whom Texas. Gov. Gregg Abbott hand-picked to lead the agency. Morath has refused…
Texas Board of Education gets huge pushback on religion-infused curriculum
Activists and other Texans opposed to a proposed Bible-based curriculum for public school children are becoming a concern for extremist Christians who support the material, said Amanda Tyler, executive director of Baptist Joint Committee for Religious Liberty. BJC has joined…