Taxpayer money is being used to finance the religious indoctrination of the nation’s youth. Currently, taxpayer money in the form of school vouchers is being used to finance religious education.
It is wrong for the state to finance the religious indoctrination of children, and a violation of the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, which guarantees the separation of church and state.
In recognition of National School Choice Week (Jan. 27 - Feb. 2) an annual event which promotes school voucher programs, many concerned Americans are sending a message to their legislators in Congress, urging them to support public schools and oppose school vouchers, which funnel taxpayer money to religious and other private schools.
School vouchers take funding away from public schools, and funnel taxpayer money to finance questionable institutions often engaged in the business of religious education. Religious schools that receive these publicly funded vouchers are not held to the same educational standards, accountability measures, and civil rights protections as public schools.
In addition to the constitutional and ethical questions surrounding school vouchers, studies show these vouchers fail because they do not improve academic achievement or provide greater educational opportunities.
Americans United, a nonpartisan organization dedicated to preserving church-state separation to ensure religious freedom for all Americans, reports that school vouchers provide taxpayer dollars to religious schools despite the fact they lack accountability standards and decrease students’ civil rights and protections, particularly for girls and students with special needs.
Americans United also reports that vouchers do not lead to improved student achievement: According to multiple studies of the District of Columbia, Milwaukee, and Cleveland school voucher programs, students offered vouchers do not perform better in reading and math than students in public schools. In addition, the vast majority of vouchers fund religious schools, and spending taxpayer funds on religious education violates our country’s commitment to the separation of church and state.
Concerned Americans support public education, and reject taxpayer money in the form of school vouchers being used for religious education and the religious indoctrination of children. Please tell your legislator school vouchers are an immoral and irresponsible way to spend taxpayer money.
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