🚨 Colorado Just Crossed a Line 🚨
A “public Christian school” has quietly opened in southern Colorado — Riverstone Academy, authorized by a BOCES (a cooperative of school districts) and already calling itself “Colorado’s first Christian public school.”
Let’s be clear:
Public schools cannot be religious. Period.
The Colorado Constitution explicitly requires that public education be nonsectarian — meaning free from religious influence.
Riverstone Academy markets itself as “tuition-free” and “Christian-based,” blending “classical values” with “hands-on trade learning” and a “Christian foundation.” It was authorized by Education reEnvisioned BOCES, whose director, Ken Witt, insists the U.S. Constitution forbids “discrimination against religion” — twisting Espinoza v. Montana to justify publicly funded religious instruction.
But Espinoza and similar cases dealt with private schools receiving indirect aid through vouchers — not public schools directly teaching religion. That distinction is everything. As even conservative legal scholars admit:
“A public school cannot be religious. The government cannot, consistent with the First Amendment, fund a religious school directly.”
Riverstone’s backers want to erase that line entirely — to make “Christian public schools” a normal part of the education landscape. This is the same long-game strategy we’re seeing with LifeWise, “moral instruction,” Ten Commandments bills, and “traditional values” laws.
Secular Education Association will be watching this one closely. The outcome in Colorado could shape how far Christian nationalist groups can push the “public but religious” experiment nationwide.
📚 Public schools are for education, not evangelism.
🏛️ The wall between church and state still stands — and we’re here to defend it.
#PublicSchoolsNotPulpits #KeepItSecular #ChurchStateSeparation #Colorado #BOCES #RiverstoneAcademy #SecularEducation #SEA
Americans United for Separation of Church and State
Freedom From Religion Foundation
American Atheists
Interfaith Alliance
People For the American Way
ACLU of Colorado
Secular Coalition for America
Public Funds For PUBLIC Schools
Colorado Department of Education
The Denver Post
Education Week
The Colorado Sun
Chalkbeat Colorado
ProPublica
Center for Inquiry
Governor Jared Polis
Project Next
Defense of Democracy
What people are saying:
- Facebook User: Thanks! I contacted CDE with this message in case anyone else would like to also.
https://www.cde.state.co.us/contact_cde
Hello, I recently learned about a new public school – Riverstone Academy – that is also promoting itself as a Christian based school. The Colorado Constitution explicitly requires that public education be nonsectarian — meaning free from religious influence. Please provide explanation and follow up for how this public school can function with tax payer dollars as a religious school.
- Facebook User: All of this is shady. Trying to get around the laws regarding public schools to open a “public Christian school” seems to be the cornerstone of those trying to dismantle public’s schools. How about we just teach kids the subjects and they can receive their religious education elsewhere? Like at home or in their respective churches. Tax dollars should not be used to fund schools that are trying to indoctrinate students with their religious beliefs. If parents want their children in religious based schools, they need to be ready to pay the tuition for such schools as has been the case for generations. It is ironic that these same people who are rallying behind public schools indoctrinating students are the exact people who are attempting to do so on the taxpayers dollar.
- Facebook User: Colorado has loose charter school regulations, Ken Witt, the guy in the photo works with an attorney Brad Miller(several CO school districts have hired Miller as their board counsel ) both of them have been manipulating CO Charter laws for several years. Witt was the Superintendent for JeffCo schools years ago, the community recalled the entire school board. Witt also took over Woodland Park, CO school board that adopted Civics Alliance American Birthright Social Studies Standards. I say make this charter school take CMAS testing, with the curriculum the school uses, the school will more than likely not score well and this school probably has a waiver for testing or they will encourage the students to opt out. Sadly CO democrats are partly to blame with CO charter issues. 😡
- Facebook User: NO.
- Facebook User: Yep!
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