Religious Liberty

Florida Supreme Court Removes Voucher Amendments from Ballot

Following oral argument this morning, the Florida Supreme Court this afternoon unanimously ordered that two proposed state constitutional amendments cannot appear on the November ballot. The amendments would have repealed the Florida Constitution's prohibition on public aid to religious institutions and allowed public funds to be used to subsidize religious and other private education. Placed on the ballot by the Florida Taxation and Budget Reform Commission, the proposed constitutional amendments were intended to overturn the Court's 2006 ruling that invalidated the state's voucher law. The Court today ruled that the Commission overstepped its authority by placing the items on the ballot.
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Democrats Should Oppose Voucher Schemes in Party Platform

Changing course from previous years, the recently released draft platform of the Democratic Party did not contain explicit language opposing publicly funded school vouchers. Tanya Clay House, PFAW Director of Public Policy, issued the following statement. "Democrats should use the party platform to make clear their opposition to school voucher schemes that undermine the goal of strengthening public schools and providing quality educational opportunity to all children. In the past, Democrats have held the line against Republican-led efforts to weaken public education through school vouchers, and that stance should be made explicit in this document."
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People For the American Way Encouraged by Obama Commitment to Apply Constitutional Principles to Partnerships with Faith-Based Groups

People For the American Way President Kathryn Kolbert said, Senator Obama’s speech on government partnerships with faith-based and grassroots social service groups included a clear commitment to constitutional principles, something that has been sorely lacking during the Bush administration. Sen. Obama stated clearly that his administration would not allow federal funds to support discrimination in providing services – or in hiring. In so doing, the Obama campaign is embracing civil rights protections that the Bush administration actively tried to undermine.

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California State University and People For the American Way Foundation Reach Agreement in Fullerton Lecturer Case

(Fullerton, CA) — The California State University (CSU) and Wendy Gonaver, represented by attorneys with People For the American Way Foundation, have worked out an agreement over a dispute concerning the requirement that all state employees sign a "loyalty oath" as required by the California Constitution.

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People For Delivers 11,000 Petitions To Cal State Chancellor

People For the American Way Foundation delivered more than 11,000 petitions to California State University Chancellor Charles B. Reed. The petitions call for the university system to adopt a policy that accommodates employees who have religious or other objections to the state's "loyalty oath" by allowing them to sign the oath and attach an explanatory statement, the very same policy of the University of California.

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Arizona Court of Appeals Rejects Voucher Schemes

The Arizona Court of Appeals today rejected publicly funded voucher schemes that send taxpayer money to religious and other private schools. People For the American Way, along with a group of allies, sued the state in 2006, pointing to clear language in the Arizona Constitution that forbids appropriating public money in aid of "private or sectarian schools."

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Fired Teacher Calls on Calif State University to Change "Loyalty Oath" Policy

Gonaver
People For the American Way Foundation
PFAW Foundation has taken up the case of fired Quaker teacher Wendy Gonaver, insisting that the California State University restore her to a teaching job.

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Bush's Voucher Proposal Would Further Weaken Struggling Public Schools

By proposing what amounts to a publicly-funded national voucher program in his State of the Union speech last night, President Bush is adding insult to the injury he has done to public schools over the last seven years. Programs such as the $300 million initiative Bush proposed further weaken already-struggling urban public schools by diverting tax dollars to religious and other private schools.

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Movement Against Vouchers and For Public Schools Seen Across Country

This week has seen mounting recognition from different corners of the country that voucher systems fail to serve the interests of the nation’s children.

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