Trump administration moves to protect prayer in public schools and federal funds for religious organ

[mahatmakanejeeves]

Source: Washington Post

Education
Trump administration moves to protect prayer in public schools and federal funds for religious organizations
The administration announced it is proposing to ease restrictions on religious groups that provide social services.



President Trump prays before the start of an event at El Rey Jess church in Miami earlier this month. (Tom Brenner/Reuters)

By Moriah Balingit and Ariana Eunjung Cha
Jan. 16, 2020 at 2:50 p.m. EST

The Trump administration is moving to strengthen protections for students who want to pray or worship in public schools and proposing changes that would make it easier for religious groups that provide social services to access federal funds.

Nine federal agencies, including the Education Department, the Department of Health and Human Services and the Justice Department, are proposing rules that would reduce requirements for those religious organizations. The rules would lift an Obama-era executive order that compelled religious organizations to tell the people they serve that they can receive the same service from a secular provider.

The changes and proposed rules were announced on a telephone briefing for reporters Thursday.

The Education Department plans to issue guidance that will require local school districts to certify that they have no rules or regulations that conflict with students' right to pray at school. It will also require states to notify the Education Department if there are complaints against a school system regarding the right to pray. The department does not have similar reporting requirements for states when a school district is accused of other types of discrimination.
....

This is a developing story. It will be updated.


Moriah Balingit
Moriah Balingit is an education reporter for The Washington Post, where she has worked since 2014. She previously covered crime, city hall and crime in city hall at the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Follow https://twitter.com/ByMoriah

Ariana Eunjung Cha
Ariana Eunjung Cha is a national reporter. She has previously served as The Post's bureau chief in Shanghai and San Francisco, and as a correspondent in Baghdad. Follow https://twitter.com/arianaeunjung


Read more: https://www.washingtonpost.com/education/2020/01/16/trump-administration-moves-protect-prayer-public-schools-federal-funds-religious-organizations/

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We do need money for a new organ. LBN rules state that....

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Here's one comment:

ThinkTwiceWriteOnce
2 minutes ago
The response in the Southern Tradition on matters of prayer and Mr. Trump is that "the man should know better than to call on strangers."

[Iliyah]

1. That illegal person in the WH is moving very quickly . . . .

hmmmmmmmmmmmmm

[keithbvadu2]

2. Many of our right wing brethren want to put public prayer and the Bible back in the schools.

Many of our right wing brethren want to put public prayer and the Bible back in the schools.

They have no qualms about using the gov't to foist their own religious beliefs on the children in public schools without letting the parents decide how they want their children raised.

[atreides1]

6. Not my brethren!!!

Personally I'd rather they all jump off of bridge into the ocean...this way they can show the rest of us how strong their faith in their "God" really is...

[bluestarone]

3. BUYING votes again

THIS is what they do! First with farmers, then on, and on, and on. Dumb people

[mpcamb]

38. I hate the headline: "protect prayer" my ass! "Pander to Theocrats" actually.

[left-of-center2012]

4. We know he can't, doesn't read

[B Stieg]

25. No way those are tRump's hands!

They're huge!

[tazkcmo]

30. Right?

Those hands are as big as his head!

[Mr.Bill]

5. And the fundies say Catholics worship false idols.

Sickening picture.

[matt819]

7. Obviously unconstitutional

But. . .

Maybe it's long past time for other religions to claim the same opportunities: Jews, Hindus, Muslims, Buddhists, Satanists, Earth Lodge Religion, Ghost Dance, Indian Shaker Religion, Longhouse Religion, Mexicayotl, Native American Church, Waashat Religion, Taoists, Confucianism, Shintoism, various folk religions, Jainism, Sikhism, Animism, Hoodoo, Voodoo.

Demand time and space on school grounds to practice these religions, including animal sacrifice, which the Supreme Court declared to be okay when practiced in conjunction with religious practice. Demand school districts allow students to observe their religious holy days without penalty of official absences. Demand funding.

Of course, white Christians will object because this isn't about religious freedom. It's about white Christians and white supremacy and white nationalism.

[AC_Mem]

16. Exactly

All Religions - once they start to shove their version of Religion down our throats it is time to make SURE that ALL religions are given the same rights.

I am so dismayed at what my country has become, it brings me to tears just about every day.

when will it stop? it has to stop - i fear so much for my children and grandchildren.

[OldBaldy1701E]

31. Funny you mention this...

I have an article from many years ago that I saved from my home state of North Carolina and there was an incident where a group left a massive stack of Gideon bibles for the students. The school told the students that they could get one if they wanted. Of course, the school passed them out in each classroom, which made many of the students feel they were supposed to take one. Well, one of the mothers was Wiccan, and she went to the board to complain. They, of course, said it was all voluntary and that the school district policy allowed this. Well, she went and got a stack of Wiccan literature and arrived at the school to pass them out. She was told that the rule was suspended while there was a review of that rule. THAT is what these people will do if you decide to play this particular card. They will allow anything that goes with their worldview, but refuse anyone who dares disagree with them. The discrimination of these so-called 'christians' towards anything they don't like is myriad and they will stop at nothing to maintain their grip on this country.

[AC_Mem]

34. interesting

they should have retrieved every Gideon bible from each student while the "review" was going on.

But of course - there is always the double standard, isn't there.

[OldBaldy1701E]

36. Which was the insidiousness of their plan...

the bibles were already passed out. I also heard that other literature of a christian nature was left in the library area and was never removed during or after this incident. Christian literature in school is common, and I have never seen a school refuse it. Yet, once you start trying to bring in anything else... ( heard of one school who refused a pamphlet on Jewish faith because, of course, Baptists and their ilk say they are heathens for not accepting jayesus as the son of gawd).

[bucolic_frolic]

8. Give them an oath to uphold the Constitution

Like reciting the Pledge of Allegiance

[Maxheader]

9. The antithesis to everything..

Christianity is about...

[ancianita]

10. Christo-fascist creeps and their theocratic creep. This needs to hit the federal courts. Which was

the intention all along.

[BigmanPigman]

11. Donate to Freedom From Religion

Like Ron Reagan Jr says, "I'm not afraid of burning in Hell".

https://ffrf.org/

[mahatmakanejeeves]

12. Trump rolls out policies that would push federal funds to religious groups and advance prayer ...

Hat tip, Joe.My.God:

Nine Federal Agencies Propose Undoing Obama-Era Executive Order On Grants To Religious Organizations
January 16, 2020

NBC News reports:

President Donald Trump on Thursday announced a series of new rules and guidance memos designed to push federal funds to religious organizations and advance prayer in public schools. The guidance comes amid a formal White House declaration recognizing Jan.16 as Religious Freedom Day.

In a reversal of Obama-era requirements that tightly restricted religious organizations receiving taxpayer money, almost a dozen federal agencies are rolling out proposals meant to ease those restrictions on religious groups, including schools and churches.

The Washington Post reports:

Nine federal agencies, including the Education Department, the Department of Health and Human Services and the Justice Department, are proposing rules that would reduce requirements for religious organizations. The rules would lift an Obama-era executive order that compelled religious organizations to tell the people they serve that they can receive the same service from a secular provider.

The Education Department plans to issue guidance that will require local school districts to certify that they have no rules or regulations that conflict with students’ right to pray at school. It will also require states to notify the Education Department if there are complaints against a school system regarding the right to pray. The department does not have similar reporting requirements for states when a school district is accused of other types of discrimination.

NPR reports:

In an exclusive interview with NPR, White House Director of the Domestic Policy Council Joe Grogan said existing provisions to protect school prayer established under the No Child Left Behind law have been eroded over time with a hostility to religion and religious institutions.

“We’re trying across the board to invite religious institutions and people of faith back into the public square and say, ‘Look, your views are just as valid as anybody else’s,’ ” Grogan said. ” ‘And, by the way, they’re protected by the First Amendment to the Constitution.’ “

Just in from hate group leader Tony Perkins:

President Trump and his administration are taking on the bullies that have been intimidating school officials and bullying students with their often baseless lawsuits. No longer will students have to stand alone in their defense of their religious freedom as these anti-faith organizations seek to rob students in public schools of any form of religious expression. He is also stepping up to protect religious organizations from government discrimination. This is a president who is putting freedom back in Religious Freedom Day.

For years, we’ve watched secularists pressure school administrators into telling students that they can’t pray, read their Bibles, or talk about their faith in class. Some school officials are willing participants in the secularists’ intimidation campaign while others fear the lack of funding to fight threatened lawsuits.

Now the tables are turned. The onus is now on states to certify that they are compliant with U.S. Department of Education guidelines which protect students’ religious freedom. If schools fail to protect religious freedom, they now run the risk of losing federal funding.

The Washington Examiner reports:

Camilla B. Taylor, an attorney with the LGBTQ civil rights group Lambda Legal, said the changes would affect huge swaths of government contracts. She said that when people they think of religious groups and social services, they “think a neighborhood soup kitchen in a basement”

“But we are talking about government grants to the tune of millions and millions of dollars. And increasingly, they are excluding members of the public from receiving services based on who they are,” Taylor said.

The Rev. Stan J. Sloan, chief executive of Family Equality, which supports same-sex families, said “once again, the Trump administration is putting the personal beliefs of taxpayer-funded service providers above the needs of vulnerable children, families and people they serve.”

Trump rolls out policies that would push federal funds to religious groups and advance prayer in public schools
PUBLISHED THU, JAN 16 20202:47 PM EST

Yelena Dzhanova
@YELENADZHANOVA

KEY POINTS
• President Donald Trump on Thursday issued a series of policies designed to push money into religious organizations and advance prayer in public schools.
• The policies are a reversal of Obama-era requirements that enforce tight restrictions on the way taxpayer money flows to religious organizations and services.

President Donald Trump on Thursday announced a series of new rules and guidance memos designed to push federal funds to religious organizations and advance prayer in public schools. The guidance comes amid a formal White House declaration recognizing Jan.16 as Religious Freedom Day.

In a reversal of Obama-era requirements that tightly restricted religious organizations receiving taxpayer money, almost a dozen federal agencies are rolling out proposals meant to ease those restrictions on religious groups, including schools and churches.

The Office of Management and Budget proposed a rule, for example, that says government organizations cannot make religion a determining factor on which to base a federal award.

The rule could override the Blaine Amendments, which prohibit taxpayer money from going to religious schools in 38 states.

Acting OMB Director Russ Vought said in a statement: “President Trump and this Administration are committed to religious freedom for every American.”

{snip}

[OldBaldy1701E]

37. typical doublespeak...

the government does not prohibit taxpayer money over religion. They prohibit taxpayer money on the grounds of being a criminal, as in unlawful discrimination, or unlawful use of income, or any of the real reasons those pseudo-religious groups were denied in the first place. What a bunch of crapola. These sub-human swine will do anything to force the rest of the world under their control, be it though economic or social means. As to religious freedom, I say let's do that. If I do not see one Wiccan or Pagan standard in the next official meeting or gathering, then the proof will be undeniable that this is all hooey created by the yahweh worshipers so they can have their coveted status as the (unofficially, of course) state religion kept in place. Pathetic. Oh, and again, there are no restrictions on a student praying in school. There are restrictions on teachers holding church in their classroom. This is what the rule is about. It is not about student prayer, it is about teachers being able to force their religion on others, and getting away with hate speech at those who are not of their faith, not to mention avoiding reprisals due to hate speech trying to be religious. Don't let this smokescreen work, people. There is no war on religion, it is only a war on anything a certain group of people do not like masquerading as religion and those who try to say otherwise are part of the problem.

[Perseus]

13. That photo posted here should be used as a definition of "fake"

What a bunch of fakes, starting with the idiot-in-chief. He must be debating whether to grab the blond or the brunette by their pussies now or wait a little later.

Did trump fart? The blond seems to have caught a bad smell.

[OneCrazyDiamond]

14. Isn't students praying in school already protected by the 1st amendment?

It sounds like status quo.

The second part is fishy. Likely more undo whatever former President Obama did. It's like he has an itemized list.

[jmowreader]

17. Diamond, you seriously do not understand what Trump is doing

Trump's base is fundamentalist Christians. The objective of that religion is to force other people to bend to your will. Trump, in a brazen push to further lock up the fundamentalist vote, is preventing any government agency from interfering with the hell-bound.

Your second line is accurate: the whole purpose of the Trump administration is to overturn the entire Obama administration.

I swear, someone needs to let Trump know Obama signed an executive order forbidding Americans from having their asses sewn shut. Maybe he'll explode.

[OneCrazyDiamond]

24. ?

The Trump administration is moving to strengthen protections for students who want to pray or worship in public schools

The 1st protects a kid who wants to pray before they eat lunch, even with their friends. They can do this in school.

They don't need more protections. The protections are already there.

As far as I can tell, all religions break down to control.

[paleotn]

19. That's the cover...

What this is really about is letting public schools proselytize state sponsored religion, whether parents want their children proselytized or not. Cults have a habit of preying on the young. Call it Handmaid's Tale light.

[AtheistCrusader]

15. Election year pandering to delusional people.

Transparent as hell, he doesn't care, and neither do they.

[paleotn]

18. Here we go....

ramming their bullshit down our throats. And not just any religion. The official, state sponsored pack of lies.

[pazzyanne]

20. A little background information...

"The U.S. Supreme Court banned school-sponsored prayer in public schools in a 1962 decision, saying that it violated the First Amendment. But students are allowed to meet and pray on school grounds as long as they do it privately and don't try to force others to do the same."

[RussBLib]

21. Oh, Halelujah!

What better way to bribe the religious to keep voting for Trump.

[NCProgressive]

22. And then Jesus said, let's pander to the evangelicals

Amen

[Stuart G]

23. Here are the exact words from the Constituion, Ammendment 1, passed in 1791..

"Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.

_________________________________________________________________________________________

I guess Trump does not understand the word..."NO".(it is the 4th word above) ..and Trump did not talk to a Constitutional Lawyer about this, because that person would have explained this to him.

[progree]

26. Juh HEE zus Christ said in Matthew 6:5-6: Pray in Secret

Matthew 6:5-6 New International Version (NIV)
5 “And when you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners to be seen by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full. 6 But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.

There's nothing here about cramming Christianity down childrens' or adults' throats. But right-wing ooga boogalists don't read the Bible, just hold it when the cameras are rolling.

[YOHABLO]

27. It clearly is un Constitutional. However, he's rigging the courts as well.

[JohnnyRingo]

28. Trigger warning.

That picture makes me want to puke.

What a smattering of phony baloney religious quacks play-acting for the camera.

[Owl]

35. Same here exactly.

🤮

[JohnnyRingo]

29. It'll only last until the 1st Muslim teacher leads a prayer.

"Get out your prayer rugs and kneel towards Mecca, class".

or...

"Today we'll learn the teachings of Buddha."

or...

"Grab your Watchtowers and get in the van."

[Vinca]

32. Imagine the uproar if little Muslim boys were seen taking their prayer rugs to school.

[JohnnyRingo]

33. And that should be fine.

The problem is when the school forces children to pray enmasse. It seems a teacher would be allowed to impart his or her religious bent on the students and that's where the problems will surface. It's not 1955 anymore.