Dear Friend,
This week brought a significant victory for public education and the separation of church and state, as well as some stark reminders of how perilously close we are to losing both.
The Supreme Court narrowly let stand a ruling that blocks public funding for religious schools in Oklahoma and revealed just how divided the Court is on fundamental First Amendment questions. At the same time, Christian Nationalists’ legislative success proves their push to dismantle nonsectarian public education — and ours to defend it — is far from finished.
Undeterred by constitutional constraints and unfazed by public sentiment, the Christian Nationalist movement won’t rest until the classrooms that serve 90% of America’s students are privatized and propagandized beyond recognition.
Courts stymie Christian Nationalists’ efforts to eliminate public education
Public school supporters are celebrating two major decisions from the nation’s courts this week. One federal judge temporarily blocked mass layoffs at the Department of Education, writing that the Trump Administration’s intent is not “efficiency” but “to effectively dismantle” the agency without congressional authority.
And a deadlocked U.S. Supreme Court left in place the Oklahoma Supreme Court ruling that public funding for religious schools is unconstitutional, preventing a Catholic virtual charter school from operating on taxpayers’ dime. While that is terrific news, it’s also troubling that the nation’s highest court is split on the question of whether our government can fund discriminatory religious schools that seek to indoctrinate young people.
Last month, American Atheists filed an amicus brief with the Court, urging the justices to recognize a taxpayer-funded religious school would be antithetical to our nation’s history and traditions. Following this week’s decision, American Atheists president Nick Fish wrote:
“Today’s ruling is a major victory for nonreligious Americans and, indeed, for all supporters of church-state separation… But Christian Nationalists will not stop here, and neither will we. The very principle of religious freedom for all remains under attack… We must remain vigilant and continue fighting every day to defend the First Amendment against revisionists and religious supremacists.”
Texas lawmakers pass “prayer period” for public schools
Despite the strong objections of constituents, constitutional watchdogs like American Atheists, and our local affiliates, Texas lawmakers approved a bill, SB 11, that will permit public school districts to set aside a designated period for student prayer and religious study. The bill passed the House 91-51 and is awaiting Governor Greg Abbott’s signature.
During Thursday’s legislative hearing, Texas Representative Brent Money said, “We should be encouraging our students to pray and read their Bible every day, just as the authors of the constitution did.” Alarmingly, he went even further by twice invoking the Jim Crow era to argue students were “better off” in racially segregated, religious schools: “I’m talking about the mental, physical, and emotional well-being of those children in a secular setting versus in a religious setting. I think it’s better in a religious setting.”
After its passage, the bill’s sponsor wrote: “We are a state and nation built on ‘In God We Trust.’ You have to ask: are our schools better or worse off since prayer was taken out in the 1960s? Litigious atheists are no longer going to get to decide for everyone else if students and educators exercise their religious liberties during school hours.”
Nevermind that students are already allowed to pray in public schools, and don’t worry about that enormous school voucher bill Abbott signed earlier this month with the purported purpose of helping send students to private, religious schools. As Trump said, just forget about the separation of church and state! This is all about privileging, promoting, and imposing a certain nationalistic flavor of Christianity on all of us, including and especially our kids.
MAGA megabill advances to Senate
Last week’s email was all about American Atheists’ concerns with Trump’s so-called “Big, Beautiful Bill.” Late Wednesday night, a heavily amended version of the budget reconciliation package managed to clear the U.S. House by a single vote.
While the “nonprofit killer” component of the proposal was removed (which would’ve allowed the Treasury Secretary to strip tax-exempt status from organizations), a number of other harmful provisions were retained or added — including devastating cuts to critical health care and food assistance programs, attacks on LGBTQ+ and abortion rights, and a nationwide voucher scheme.
The winsomely named “Educational Choice For Children Act” or ECCA would divert an estimated $136 billion in taxpayer dollars to private, mostly religious schools over the next decade. American voters have never once approved of school vouchers, which do not improve academic outcomes or access for most students.
By including ECCA in the budget reconciliation bill, school privatizers are trying to avoid a full public debate, and they only need a simple 50-vote majority in the Senate to win.
Just like the Court’s stalemate and the House’s razor-thin vote, the future of public education could come down to the slimmest of margins in the Senate. That means every vote and every voice matters. NOW is the time to contact your senators and demand they reject ECCA and any effort to funnel public dollars into private, religious schools.
In solidarity,
Melina Cohen
Director of Strategic Communications & Policy Engagement
American Atheists is a 501(c)(3) non-partisan, nonprofit educational organization that relies on the support of members like you. Contributions are tax-deductible. Our Federal Tax ID Number is 74-2466507, and our Combined Federal Campaign number is 52217.
American Atheists
225 Cristiani Street
Cranford, NJ 07016
United States