Nevada school voucher program set to funnel public funds to schools that pledge allegiance to Christian flag - AMERICAblog News

Nevada school voucher program set to funnel public funds to schools that pledge allegiance to Christian flag - AMERICAblog News:

Nevada school voucher program set to funnel public funds to schools that pledge allegiance to Christian flag

The ACLU and Americans United for Separation of Church and State have filed a lawsuit against the State of Nevada over their new school voucher law, which will direct public funds to private schools — many of which are overtly religious.

One such school, highlighted by the ACLU, places an “emphasis on teaching ‘Christian Americanism,'” but only after students have recited this pledge:

I pledge allegiance to the Christian flag and to the Savior for Whose kingdom it stands. One Savior, crucified, risen, and coming again, with life and liberty for all who believe.

The United States’ Constitution makes it clear that giving public money to a school that teaches its kids that non-believers aren’t deserving of life or liberty isn’t an option. The Nevada State Constitution makes it even clearer, with a section devoted specifically to prohibiting public funding of religious education that reads: “No public funds of any kind or character whatever, State, County, or Municipal, shall be used for sectarian purpose.”

The funds awarded under the voucher program reportedly come with no strings. As Heather Weaver wrote for the ACLU today, this means that private schools that receive public funds could use them to do the following:

The Bible, via Pixabay

Some private religious schools in Nevada teach creationism and that the Bible is the literal truth, dramatically diverging from state educational standards that govern publicly funded schools. Most private religious schools also require students to take part in prayer and worship services. At one Islamic school, for example, Friday afternoon prayers are mandatory.

Moreover, private schools will be eligible to take part in the voucher program even if they discriminate in admissions and employment. Students who do not follow the school’s faith or attend the church that operates the school may be charged more in tuition. Meanwhile, some schools simply reject outright any applicant who does not subscribe to their faith.

Schools could also use voucher funds to discriminate against LGBT students and block pregnant students from Nevada school voucher program set to funnel public funds to schools that pledge allegiance to Christian flag - AMERICAblog News: