From curriculum debates to the posting of “In God We Trust,” we’re seeing the political ideology of Christian nationalism impacting religious freedom in our public schools. During Public Schools Week, Amanda and Holly review recent controversies and discuss the important role our nation’s public schools play in serving all people and educating 90% of American schoolchildren. They also discuss why some schools would rather teach a misleading version of history and shut down any conversation by calling on the “boogeyman” of Critical Race Theory.
SHOW NOTES
Segment 1: A proliferation of bills pushing Christian nationalism in public schools (starting at 00:49)
Learn more about Public Schools Week on this website.
We played a clip of Amanda’s testimony before Congress in December 2022 during a hearing titled “The Evolution of Anti-Democratic Extremist Groups and the Ongoing Threat to Democracy,” led by the House Oversight Subcommittee on Civil Rights and Civil Liberties. Watch her full testimony at this link.
Amanda and Holly mentioned this “super-thread” on Twitter from Bryan Kelley, a policy analyst, of bills being introduced in state legislatures which have a component that combines religion and public education.
Segment 2: What’s the role of religion in public schools? (starting at 14:45)
Visit BJC’s collection of resources on religion in the public schools at this link.
Amanda and Holly mentioned an article by the Rev. Jennifer Hawks, BJC’s associate general counsel, that was published in Good Faith Media: Strong public schools fight Christian nationalism
Segment 3: Other opportunities to support public schools (starting at 23:25)
Watch the webinar on advancing religious freedom in public schools, featuring Maggie Siddiqi, Director of the Center for Faith-based and Neighborhood Partnerships at the U.S. Department of Education, and the Rev. Dr. Brian Kaylor, President and Editor-in-Chief of Word&Way.
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