Tebowmania and Religious Freedom
28th December, 2011
This column by Kristy Milligan appeared in The Gazette on 12/27/11.
Citizens Project, a local organization dedicated to promoting and protecting equality, diversity and religious freedom through the separation of church and state, supports Tim Tebow’s right to celebrate God in the end zone.
That’s the thing about the First Amendment. The free speech and exercise clauses protect every private citizen. Religious freedom means religious freedom.
Citizens Project also has no fundamental objection to students exercising their right to assemble, pray, or “Tebow” in the hallways of their public schools, assuming they comply with conduct codes and safety standards.
Amid all this “Tebowmania,” however, we must draw an important distinction between the First Amendment rights of individuals and the responsibilities of government. Tebow, fans and students enjoy the free exercise of religion, but teachers and coaches must, by virtue of their employment contract, adhere to the restrictions set forth in the clause prohibiting a government establishment of religion. Those who fail to do so risk exposing the institutions they serve to expensive litigation, while simultaneously alienating the students entrusted to their care.
In 2011, Citizens Project received calls from concerned parents, students, and teachers in almost every school district in the Pikes Peak region who wanted more information about how to address issues pertaining to religious expression at their schools. We heard about religious-based bullying, teacher condemnation of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender students on the basis of biblical teaching, assemblies and ceremonies that integrated religious themes, administrative interference in student club activity, and, most recently, coaches organizing and leading students in Christian prayer.
These aren’t isolated incidents. For every call we get, there are probably ten students who suffer silently to avoid drawing attention to themselves. After all, they just want to succeed in classes, participate in extracurricular activities, and advance through the public education system. Sometimes the people who contact us resist Citizens Project’s help in negotiating the grievance process or initiating an educational outreach to the affected schools. They don’t want to risk becoming pariahs. They just want someone to tell them, “It’s not okay when the person who assigns your grades or decides when you get to play your favorite sport makes prayer obligatory or singles you out.” And it’s not.
Religious formation is not the province of a public school official, and objections to compulsory religion in classrooms transcend political differences.
At Citizens Project, we won’t rest until every student can excel in a religiously neutral academic or athletic environment that neither advances nor denigrates religion. We will continue to monitor our local schools for problems and work with the administration to ensure they’re in compliance with the law. We’ll take calls about church-state issues in schools and we’ll offer our support to all parties involved, because we know that violations are usually unintentional. We’ll continue to educate teachers, administrators, students, parents and community members at our annual Citizens’ Religious Freedom Institute and offer continuing education credit to teachers.
Above all, we will stand with our students to ensure they have every chance at success through an inclusive and affirming academic environment that allows them to be exactly who they are, whether that means abstaining from the pledge or “Tebowing” on their lunch break.
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2011: The Year in Review
19th December, 2011
Thanks to Citizens Project’s inspired leadership, our volunteers, interns, collaborators, supporters and activists, 2011 was an incredible year! Below are just a few of the things we were able to accomplish with your help:
Awards
Citizens Project received several honors over the last year including: the Gay & Lesbian Fund Advancing Equality Award, “Ally of the Year” from the Colorado Springs Pride Center, and the “Steady and Strong for Diversity and Inclusion” award from the Colorado Springs Diversity Forum.
Events
Citizens Project events are more than fundraisers or friend-raisers; they’re community in action, bringing together people from across the region and across political and religious lines who share a few key values: equality, separation of church and state, diversity and civic engagement.
– More than 100 community members came out in sub-zero temperatures to honor local activist Mary Ellen McNally at Citizens Project’s 7th annual Divine Award Celebration.
- Four hundred attendees at our annual Creating Community Breakfast joined together to raise $60,000 to increase Citizens Project’s impact in the community.
- Dozens of volunteers attended our twice-annual volunteer open house and staffed the Citizens Project booth at community events such as Everybody Welcome!, Juneteenth, Cinco de Mayo, and Pride Fest.
Collaboration
CP, in close collaboration with the Women’s Resource Agency, Inside/Out Youth Services and many more, worked to re-invigorate the Pikes Peak Equality Coalition, a group of local nonprofits dedicated to opportunity and access for all community members. Through our collective efforts, we made more than 3,000 contacts with voters in the general election cycle, reminding them to cast their ballots. In addition, CP was represented on the Public Affairs and Government Relations Committee of the Colorado Springs Diversity Forum, the Colorado Civic Engagement Roundtable, and the Safe Schools Coalition. Citizens Project staff members Kristy Milligan and RoMa Johnson also presented at events and classes statewide, including: Center for Nonprofit Excellence, UCCS, El Pomar, NAACP, and the Denver Mayor’s LGBT Commission. Citizens Project also donated 18 cubic feet of physical archive files to the Pikes Peak Library District’s Special Collections. The archives will be available to the the public and will be preserved for future generations.
Voter Education
2011 was an exciting year in local elections: from the April municipal election and subsequent mayoral runoff election, to the November general election, there were many candidates vying for the votes of Pikes Peak residents. And Citizens Project continued our 19-year tradition of providing nonpartisan election education information for all local elections through well-attended Mayoral and City Council forums, and a School Board Candidate and ballot measure forum. In addition, we published two comprehensive candidate survey Voter Guides, one for the municipal election and one for the general election, which were distributed to more than 100,000 people in the Pikes Peak region through our website, a mailing to our supporters, and inclusion in the Colorado Springs Independent.
Promoting Dialogue & Awareness
Citizens Project distributed our electronic monthly Freedom Watch Online to more than 2,000 subscribers, providing them with in-depth analyses of local and national issues, opportunities to get involved, and more. Through our electronic Action Network, we sent 1,500 activists up-to-the-minute updates about pending legislation and electoral initiatives with information about how to make a positive impact on public policy.
Again this year, Citizens Project deployed an awareness campaign to stimulate conversation and tackle some of the most difficult issues facing our community. The campaign appeared in print, online, and on billboards, and it continues to create robust discussion on our blog.
CP also worked with a coalition of twenty five diverse faith and civic groups to present a special film screening to commemorate 9/11.
Creating Inclusive Learning Communities
Our second annual Citizens’ Religious Freedom Institute, a one-day seminar for teachers, administrators, students and community members on how the courts have interpreted church/state separation in public schools and how to promote religious freedom in the classroom, was well-attended and highly rated by participants. Many attendees received graduate credit or contact hours, and, as one participant said, it was a “very enjoyable, informative day.”
Again in 2011, Citizens Project mailed the Anti-Defamation League’s December Dilemma publication to 200 local schools, which contains information about inclusive holiday practices. This year we also worked with Inside/Out and the Safe @School Coalition to provide a primer on recently-passed HB1254, which expands protection from bullying to LGBT students. Additionally, we followed up with several high schools that held their graduation ceremonies at churches to help ensure future commencement celebrations that honor the unique faith traditions of all students, and comply with legal precedent regarding separation of church and state.
All of this was work to advance religious freedom, diversity, equality and civic engagement in the Pikes Peak region was possible because of the hundreds of active supporters, just like you, who gave time, money, energy and vision to help Citizens Project put our mission into motion. Thank you – and we’ll see you in 2012!
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Citizens Project Reaches Out to Local Schools Regarding Holidays, Colorado HB 1254
16th November, 2011
Last week, Citizens Project distributed copies of the Anti-Defamation League’s December Dilemma to nearly 200 local schools, urging educators to respect the First Amendment rights of every student and ensure that no child feels left out of or disrespected by holiday celebrations. The organization also included information prepared by the Safe @ School Coalition about recently-passed HB 1254, an anti-bullying measure to keep young people safe at school.
The mailing is intended to raise awareness around the laws and constitutional protections afforded to all students, during the holiday season and beyond. The accompanying packet of information included best practice recommendations for inclusive holiday celebrations, a broad overview of HB 1254, frequently asked questions about the bill, and info about Citizens Project’s upcoming Citizens’ Religious Freedom Institute.
“We believe that students perform best in safe and inclusive academic environments,” said Kristy Milligan, executive director of Citizens Project. “By providing these resources to local teachers and administrators, we hope to support them in their efforts to comply with the law and help all their students achieve academic excellence.”
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School Vouchers, Parental Rights Movements Face Conflicting Interests
14th September, 2011
By David Trillo, guest writer
To many ardent church-state separation activists, and I am definitely ardent, opposition to tax-funded school vouchers for religious or parochial schools approaches an article of faith. Separationists argue that tax aid to religious schools is a plain, flagrant violation of the First Amendment’s Establishment Clause, and may violate state and federal laws by funding institutions that practice religious or other forms of discrimination.
Voucher supporters tend to view such prohibitions as discriminatory against religion or violations of parental rights.
On August 12, Denver District Court Judge Michael Martinez saw the Douglas County Choice Scholarship Program through separationists’ eyes, ruling it unconstitutional. The school district intends to appeal.
These surface issues that typically make the news, however, miss most of the action that raises deeper concern. As is often the case when a political movement that normally tries to limit individual liberty takes sides with a “rights” cause, the explanation for the seemingly conflicting ideals begs an investigation.
School vouchers are often portrayed in the guise of parental rights. The right of parents to direct the upbringing of their children has been the subject of ballot initiatives in several states as well as favorable Supreme Court rulings1, 2 that paved legal precedent for Constitutionally protecting a wide variety of unenumerated rights, including the divisive right to an abortion.
An amendment to the Constitution that reads, in part, “The liberty of parents to direct the upbringing and education of their children is a fundamental right1” looks like something that I could vigorously support. An amendment that emphatically locks the government out of our family lives would appear to be a powerfully progressive tool.
Yet many of such an amendment’s strongest supporters come from Religious Right groups that openly express legislative goals such as “protecting marriage,” “strengthening the traditional family,” and “policy issues relevant to families from a foundation firmly established in a biblical worldview3” – words that clearly imply a governmental role in shaping and engineering family life.
If that puzzles you, the mystery will begin to disappear when we explore exactly what sort of tool its Religious Right advocates see in it.
A clue appears in a Focus on the Family web article4 that criticizes the American Library Association while downplaying Banned Books Week. A quick guide5 page to parental rights articles at citizenlink.org links to it as well as to other pages, most of which object to various sexual issues.
One of the “parental rights” that it alleges is the right to “challenge,” i.e., request the removal of library books that a parent finds objectionable. Dr. Albert Mohler, president of Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, echoes this view, implying that public libraries somehow violate parental rights7 when they carry books that some parents find objectionable.
That raises a question. If other parents demand that the library affords their children maximum access to the same kind of information, who wins? Religious Right groups appear to believe that the parents demanding the limitations should win.
In addition, the Focus Citizen Link article4 asserts that parents should use their rights to demand that libraries carry, for example, anti-gay materials to balance out perceived pro-gay books. (That sounds a lot like the old broadcast Fairness Doctrine.) Ironically, the American Civil Liberties Union has recently sued a Missouri school district for censoring gay-supportive Web sites while allowing anti-gay sites13 – a policy supported by many “parental rights” advocates, at least as indicated by comments on accompanying news stories.
Another clue appears in a Parentalrights.org news alert concerning California Senate Bill 48, which involves teaching about the contributions of gay and lesbian Americans. While the organization’s demand for parental opt-out rights appears sincere, it notes that, in the absence of an opt-out right, “there is no lesser recourse available than to change the entire curriculum for all.6”
Citizen Link is more audacious, asserting that “same-sex marriage laws have directly undermined parental rights” by encouraging class discussion of “controversial sexual topics.10” (That’s quite an about-face from Religious Right groups’ stances on teaching Intelligent Design alongside evolution, advocated on the grounds that schools should “teach the controversy.”) Apparently, even other citizens’ marriage choices must step aside to prevent sparking classroom discussions that some parents would rather avoid.
There are, undoubtedly, millions of well-meaning Christian parents who sincerely want nothing more than a right to excuse their children from certain curriculum content. But as evidenced above, some Religious Right groups view parental rights as a tool to deprive everyone’s children access to information that socially conservative parents find objectionable. They envision a world in which the rights of “conservative” parents trump intellectual freedom, and can demand removal of “objectionable” library materials despite the wishes and rights of other parents who want no such limitation8.
But that is a recurring pattern in far right vernacular, where the words “rights” and “freedom” translate more accurately into “power.”
As I already mentioned, a Constitutional parental rights amendment feels very appealing to me. But when you realize that Religious Right groups generally consider Antonin Scalia to be a model Supreme Court judge, and it was that same Antonin Scalia who opined that parents have no court-enforceable right to direct their children’s upbringing12 (Troxel v. Granville, 2000)11, I have some doubts whether “conservative” politicians would return me the favor if my parental stances clashed with their government policies.
What raises my suspicions is the fact that most high-profile parental rights advocates appear to assume that their primary beneficiaries are always conservative religious parents.
Parentalrights.org vigorously opposes the U.N. Convention on the Rights of the Child; one of their specific objections reads, “Children would have the ability to choose their own religion while parents would only have the authority to give their children advice about religion.9”
It is odd that granting this right to a child would be objectionable; what if the child in question wanted to become a Christian, yet had stridently anti-religious parents? Or in this time of fear of “Sharia Law,” what if a child of Muslims wanted to become a Christian? Would they still side with the parents’ rights? Or would the child’s religious freedom suddenly be worth defending? The objection makes sense, however, if it is assumed that the parents who would enjoy these rights are always conservative Christian parents.
It’s also odd that Religious Right groups appear to support near-absolute parental rights, in light of their oft-stated desire to protect children and safeguard their innocence – almost a children’s-rights view in itself. Again, it all makes perfect sense if it is assumed that only religious or social conservatives are morally qualified to be trusted with parental rights and act in the best interest of children.
This brings me back to school vouchers. It’s curious, again, that Religious Right groups that support strong parental rights would also support government vouchers for private or religious schools, since many of these schools require, as a condition of admission, that parents surrender most or all of their rights while children are in the school’s custody. Isn’t that exactly what they were fighting against?
The school voucher and parental rights arguments put forth today are undeveloped, founded in inconsistent and contradictory premises, and are therefore difficult to put together into a coherent ideological or political model. Implementing either vouchers or parental rights amendments now would certainly have many consequences that their proponents never intended – or might even deeply regret.
To the eyes of a fair and impartial federal judge, a Parental Rights Amendment would not deliver what many of its backers think it would. Moreover, parental rights are not, in themselves, adversarial in nature to children’s rights. In the hands of a judge appointed because of his or her sympathy to Religious Right causes, however, the new amendment could likely be applied pursuant to its evident intent which – as often seems to happen – appears to be quite opposite what its enticing words say.
The puzzle pieces, as they seem to fit, tell me that “Parental rights” are apparently intended to mean “special powers for socially conservative parents.” And school vouchers are merely a temporary shelter from public schools that are considered hostile to faith. If unrestricted school vouchers for religious schools became freely available, I doubt that the campaigns to stock public school boards with “conservatives” would stop. Efforts to elect Religious Right majorities to school boards would continue unabated.
On the other hand, if you’re one of the millions who merely want the government to butt out of your parenting, then you might in fact have more in common with me: I share that goal of limiting the government’s involvement in our personal living choices as well.
References:
- Parentalrights.org, The Annotated [Parental Rights] Amendment, http://www.parentalrights.org/index.asp?Type=B_BASIC&SEC={E7900CE9-7AE0-47B3-81F6-CC16B7CAA8A0}
- Parentalrights.org, Parental Rights Doctrine, http://parentalrights.org/index.asp?Type=B_BASIC&SEC={3051ABFF-B614-46E4-A2FB-0561A425335A}
- About Us, Citizen Link, a Focus on the Family affiliate, citizenlink.org, http://www.citizenlink.com/about-us/
- Citizen Link, “The Truth About Banned Books Week,” Citizen Link, a Focus on the Family affiliate, citizenlink.org, http://www.citizenlink.com/2010/09/28/the-truth-about-banned-books-week/
- Citizen Link, “Quick Guide: Articles on Parental Rights in Schools,” Citizen Link, a Focus on the Family affiliate, citizenlink.org, http://www.citizenlink.com/2011/04/28/quick-guide-articles-on-parental-rights-in-schools/
- Parentalrights.org, “Whatever Schools Teach, Parents Have No Rights,” http://parentalrights.org/index.asp?Type=B_BASIC&SEC={9B1459E6-8710-4884-B9E7-C4D53CE8278B}
- Dr. Albert Mohler, “Banned Book Week – Parenting at the Mercy of the Local Librarian,” albertmohler.com, http://www.albertmohler.com/2009/10/01/banned-book-week-%E2%80%93-parenting-at-the-mercy-of-the-local-librarian/
- Alysse ElHage, “The ‘Right’ to Read: Should Intellectual Freedom Trump Parental Rights in Libraries?,” North Carolina Family Policy Council, http://www.ncfpc.org/FNC/0811SF.html
- Parentalrights.org, “20 Things You Need to Know about the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child,” http://www.parentalrights.org/vertical/Sites/%7BC49108C5-0630-467E-9B9B-B1FA31A72320%7D/uploads/%7BD9F69482-C92B-4BB2-A291-06CBA2B9CF69%7D.PDF
- Candi Cushman, “Parental-Rights Backlash Is Brewing,” Citizen Link, http://www.citizenlink.com/2010/04/26/parental-rights-backlash-is-brewing/
- Troxel v. Granville (2000), Supreme Court of the United States, http://www.law.cornell.edu/supct/html/99-138.ZS.html
- Antonin Scalia, Troxel v. Granville (2000), Supreme Court of the United States, http://www.law.cornell.edu/supct/html/99-138.ZD1.html
- Suzanne Ito, “ACLU Sues Missouri School District for Illegally Censoring LGBT Websites,” aclu.org, http://www.aclu.org/blog/free-speech-lgbt-rights/aclu-sues-missouri-school-district-illegally-censoring-lgbt-websites
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Citizens Project responds to graduation ceremonies at churches
15th May, 2011
Citizens Project recognizes that there are many factors at play for schools and districts when selecting graduation ceremony sites. However, just last year, a federal district court in Connecticut determined that holding graduation ceremonies in religious environments violates the Establishment Clause of the First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution, and there is significant legal precedent to substantiate this finding. (See Does v. Enfield Public Schools; Musgrove v. Brevard County School Board; Lemke v. Black; Spacco v. Bridgewater School Department.)
As your local organization devoted to religious freedom, we believe that every student has a right to a quality, religiously neutral public education spanning from kindergarten to graduation. Citizens Project supports our local schools through our education programs, including our annual Citizens’ Religious Freedom Institute and targeted outreach, such as our December Dilemma mailing about best practices to protect students’ religious freedom around the holidays. These programs help schools, teachers, and administrators create inclusive academic environments and save taxpayer money by decreasing exposure to unnecessary litigation.
Contact us with questions or to report problems with your school’s graduation
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Citizens’ Religious Freedom Institute
24th January, 2011
Citizens Project is proud to present the second annual Citizens’ Religious Freedom Institute, a one day seminar on how the First Amendment to the US Constitution protects religious freedom in public schools. For teachers, students, parents, administrators, staff, school board members, and open to the public.
Saturday March 12, 2011
University of Colorado at Colorado Springs
Participants will learn:
- How the law defines religious freedom in the public school setting,
- Best practices for respecting all students’ religious freedom, and
- How to be an advocate for religious freedom in your school.
In-service credit for teachers and graduate credit is available. Lunch, textbook and supplemental materials are provided to all participants.
To receive information about the Citizens’ Religious Freedom Institute, join our email list for Freedom Watch Online, email Kristy Milligan, or call us at (719) 520-9899.
Click here to download the flier for educators.
Click here to download the flier for parents, students and the public.
Click here for the REGISTRATION FORM.
Click here to download the 2010 Citizens Religious Freedom Toolkit.
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Citizens Project in the news!
25th March, 2010
You’ve seen the billboards, the print ads, the bus sides and the websites. Church Equals State, Freedom From Expression, Create Isolation, Celebrate Conformity. And now you know that Citizens Project was the organization behind this provocative campaign.
Learn more about what the campaign is all about by checking out Citizens Project’s recent media coverage and stay tuned to learn how you can join the conversation!
- Check out the Gazette article by Mark Barna: Springs nonprofit hopes billboards spark diversity dialogue
- Read a story by Anthony Lane on the Colorado Springs Independent blog: Church equals state? Huh?
- Also, watch for Citizens Project on KRDO Channel 13 news this evening, when Executive Director Barb Van Hoy talks about the awareness campaign
If you haven’t already, please join our email list for opportunities to get involved!
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Texas Board of Education re-writes history
19th March, 2010
Educators, historians, journalists and commentators all over the country are decrying the decision by the Texas Board of Education to approve highly politicized revisions to public school curriculum.
Thanks to the Texas Freedom Network for this round-up:
A San Francisco Chronicle columnist sharply criticizes the State Board of Education’s rewriting of Texas social studies standards.
Historians on Tuesday criticized proposed revisions to the Texas social studies curriculum, saying that many of the changes are historically inaccurate and that they would affect textbooks and classrooms far beyond the state’s borders.
The San Antonio Express-News says the “latest example of SBOE incompetence springs from the same source as other outrages: The inability of social conservatives on the state board to distinguish between ideology and education.”
Maggie Rivas-Rodriguez, director of the U.S. Latino & Latina World War II Oral History Project at the University of Texas School of Journalism, says the Texas State Board of Education apparently wasn’t listening as witnesses came from across the state to urge members to consider the inclusion of more Hispanic Americans in social studies curriculum standards.
Stephen Colbert and Jon Stewart have now, in their characteristic ways, weighed in on the Texas State Board of Education.
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