Dear Friend,
It’s been a busy week and a concerning one for folks, like us, who care about public education, secular government, and civil rights. Here are some of the top stories we’ve been tracking:
SCOTUS decision undermines public schools, pluralism. Yesterday, we strongly condemned the Supreme Court’s ruling in Mahmoud v. Taylor, which allows parents to opt their children out of any classroom lesson or material that conflicts with their religious beliefs. We filed an amicus brief in the case back in April that was joined by the Secular Student Alliance and the Secular Coalition for America. Yesterday’s ruling sets a dangerous precedent, one that will be unworkable for schools and teachers and will also restrict Americans’ access to diverse ideas, chilling free speech, curbing free thought, and fueling Christian Nationalists’ efforts to impose their narrow worldview on us all. Today, they’re targeting the LGBTQ+ community. Next, it will be science lessons, historical texts, and literature featuring any voice that doesn’t conform to their rigid definition of an American.
Federal voucher scheme hits rules roadblock. The Senate parliamentarian challenged the inclusion of some major provisions in Republicans’ “One Big Beautiful Bill,” which she determined violate the decades-old Byrd Rule and would require a nearly impossible 60-vote supermajority threshold. Among the provisions the parliamentarian ixnayed: a $4,000,000,000 nationwide religious school voucher program and two special carveouts exempting religious schools, including Hillsdale College, from the college endowment tax. The White House insists it wants the megabill passed by July 4, and Senate Republicans may vote later today. As of writing, the Senate Finance Committee, which proposed the private school vouchers, has not released updated text reflecting the parliamentarian’s rulings, and other school privatization schemes known as 529 accounts remain in the bill. Contact your Senator NOW, and urge them to oppose any proposal to fund private, mostly religious schools with public dollars.
Ohio judge says school voucher program is unconstitutional. A group of approximately 200 public school districts sued the state of Ohio over its EdChoice private school voucher program. One analysis found the $1-billion-per-year program “largely subsidized families already sending their kids to private schools.” This week, a Columbus court ruled, “the State may not fund private schools at the expense of public schools or in a manner that undermines its obligation to public education.” However, the judgement was promptly stayed “in recognition that this decision may cause significant changes to school funding in Ohio and the high likelihood that the parties will immediately appeal.”
Lawsuits continue over Ten Commandments displays in public schools. Last week, a federal court rightly struck down the Louisiana law requiring that public school classrooms display the Ten Commandments. This church-state victory could be short-lived, though, as the state’s Attorney General and the Becket Fund have already requested a full review. Meanwhile, Arkansas families and Texas faith leaders have also filed lawsuits challenging similar Ten Commandments mandates.
New poll: Public opinion mixed on religious issues. A survey released this week shows nearly half of Americans oppose publicly funded religious charter schools and religious exemptions for childhood vaccines. While more U.S. adults think religion has “too much” influence on government and classrooms than “too little,” 6 in 10 support placing religious chaplains in public schools, and 4 in 10 support teacher-led prayer. Still, a significant majority of respondents reported that church-state separation (64%), freedom of religion (81%), and freedom of speech (85%) are “extremely” or “very” important. Democrats are more concerned about threats facing the religious freedom of atheists and Muslims, while Republicans worry more about threats against Christians, and both parties express concern for Jews.
Kennedy continues unsettling science, public health. Health Secretary and longtime vaccine skeptic Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., announced the U.S. will no longer fund Gavi, a global health partnership that has vaccinated more than one billion children. Doctors Without Borders warned “countless children” could die vaccine-preventable deaths as a result of the withdrawal of U.S. support based on Kennedy’s unfounded doubts regarding the diphtheria-tetanus-whole cell pertussis vaccine (DTPw). We also learned this week that Kennedy hired prominent anti-vaxxer Lyn Redwood as a “special government employee.” At the first meeting of Kennedy’s recently reconstituted Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP), Redwood promoted debunked claims and a fictitious study linking the preservative thimerosal to autism. Before the meeting, the CDC deleted an earlier agency review that concluded the “evidence does not support an association [between thimerosal and autism].” ACIP announced it will begin reviewing all recommended pediatric vaccines.
Sec. Duffy says atheists are narcissists, bad sailors. On Monday, Transportation Secretary and former MTV star Sean Duffy addressed graduates of the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy, offering nine “life lessons,” the last of which was to “stay faithful” because, as he explained, “There are two kinds of people, those who believe in God and those who think they’re God… Good sailors know that only God can calm the seas and bring everyone home safely.” American Atheists sent a letter to the Secretary, pointing out how deeply offensive his comments are to the tens of millions of nonreligious Americans who proudly serve our communities and country.
DOJ sues Washington State for clergy privilege. The Department of Justice filed a lawsuit this week, claiming a Washington law that requires clergy to report child abuse and neglect “deprives Catholic priests of their fundamentally right to freely exercise their religious beliefs.” The Trump Administration has called the mandatory reporting law “anti-Catholic,” even as the legislation does not target Catholics. The bill’s sponsor, a survivor of childhood sexual abuse, has said the legislation was drafted in response to reports that Jehovah’s Witnesses covered up child sex abuse and pointed out, “Keeping kids safe from abuse should be a non-partisan issue.”
Effort to rewrite history at National Parks backfires. The Department of the Interior installed signs at National Park Service sites encouraging visitors to report incidents of “negative” American history. Instead of ahistorical and revisionist suggestions, they have evidently received hundreds of comments supporting the park service, highlighting a lack of information about Indigenous history, and scrutinizing myths like George Washington adding “So help me God” to his inaugural oath.
The challenges we face aren’t diminishing, but neither is our resolve. Thank you for staying informed and standing with us.
Until next week,
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.
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