They are trying to launder religious education through the public-school system. That is what the Oklahoma religious charter fight is really about. Everything else is just noise to distract you. A proposed virtual Jewish charter school is trying to become what St. Isidore could not: the nation’s first publicly funded religious charter school. Do NOT… Read More

Happy Mother’s Day to the moms and caregivers breaking cycles. To the moms refusing to teach their children that exclusion is normal. To the moms speaking up when public schools blur the line between church and state. To the moms protecting kids who are being singled out, pressured, or made to feel like they do… Read More

This article is a disappointing example of what happens when reporting on released time religious instruction repeats the program’s preferred framing without fully examining the impact on public schools. LifeWise is not simply a feel-good Bible club. It is a rapidly expanding, franchise-style religious program operating during the public school day – and that deserves… Read More

Texas children are hungry. Texas children need food, clothing, school supplies, working technology, safe buildings, teachers, nurses, counselors, and support. But Ken Paxton is not investigating whether children have lunch. He is investigating whether classrooms have the state’s preferred religious poster on the wall. That is OBSCENE. More than 60% of Texas public school students… Read More

LifeWise keeps insisting it is “just optional Bible education.” Then why is LifeWise Christian Academy of Wells County listed in an Indiana Commission to Combat Drug Abuse community plan alongside legitimate public-health, youth-service, and government-linked agencies like Wells County DCS, WIC, Wells County Probation, Community Care of NEI, Family Centered Services, and the YWCA? This… Read More

In case you missed it …. This is what public school complicity looks like. 👀 Former Caldwell High School principal Ben Rutherford is now lobbying Ohio lawmakers to pass HB 531 — the “School Chaplain Act” — using his public school experience as the sales pitch. And the timeline matters. Before Caldwell, Rutherford was Headmaster… Read More

This is what public school complicity looks like. Ben Rutherford is not just a private citizen supporting Ohio’s school chaplain bill. He is a former public school principal using his public-school experience to urge lawmakers to pass HB 531 — the “School Chaplain Act.” And the timeline is hard to ignore. Public-facing materials show Rutherford… Read More

When a public-school-day religious program tells children to be “obedient to the point of death,” parents are allowed to ask questions. Families have every right to teach their children their faith at home, in church, and through private religious instruction. But public schools should not be coordinating access to children during the school day for… Read More

We fully support public schools. We support public school teachers, counselors, staff, and administrators who show up every day for students under increasingly difficult conditions. But support does not mean silence. Public school employees and leaders hold positions of public trust. They have a responsibility to protect every student’s right to attend a school that… Read More

When children are asked what they love most about LifeWise, and the answer is “snacks and prizes,” adults should be paying attention. This is not just “parent choice.” It is a private religious program using the public school day to separate children from their classmates — and then making participation more appealing with treats, rewards,… Read More

Coalition work matters. So does accurate attribution. During the HB 253 fight, SEA tracked the legislation, analyzed the RTRI and “moral instruction” implications, shared source material and bill language, educated the public, and helped amplify concerns in real time. Multiple organizations utilized SEA’s research and sourcing throughout this effort. We are glad communities mobilized and… Read More

This Teacher Appreciation Week, we want to do more than say thank you. We want to listen. Teachers, educators, and school staff are some of our strongest and most essential allies. You see the realities of the school day firsthand – including the impact of programs like LifeWise, as well as other situations where religion… Read More

We say we appreciate teachers. But appreciation isn’t coffee mugs or “hero” posts. Right now, teachers are being asked to do more than ever; while navigating disrupted schedules, lost instructional time, political interference, and increasing pressure inside the school day. They are expected to absorb it.Keep things running.Stay neutral.Protect every child. That’s not appreciation. If… Read More

Public school dollars should follow public school kids. We’re hearing a lot about “money following the child.” But public funding exists to support a system; one that serves every child, in every community, with public accountability. Public schools are that system. Private systems are NOT. Public schools belong to everyone. What people are saying: Secular… Read More

Today, Fort Wayne showed up for public school kids. 💜 Public School Belonging Day in Fort Wayne, Indiana was everything we hoped it would be and more. Families came. Kids made art. Belonging Bags were filled and shared. Community members wrote encouragement notes. People stopped by to connect, share stories, offer support, and remind one… Read More