Iowa Approves Religious Instruction During School Hours
In a landmark decision, Iowa has enacted a new law permitting students to engage in religious instruction during the academic day, marking a significant step for parental rights, according to one nonprofit organization.
Governor Kim Reynolds of Iowa, representing the Republican Party, officially signed House File 870 into law on Friday. This legislation permits parents to allow their children to partake in “a course in private religious instruction” provided by private organizations, limited to five hours a week during school hours.
The measure saw overwhelming bipartisan support, passing the Republican-majority House with a vote of 96-2 and the Senate unanimously at 47-0. Notably, only two Democratic representatives opposed the bill in the House.
The new law requires religious organizations providing these courses to keep attendance records and assumes liability for the students during their participation. Additionally, it mandates that parents are responsible for transporting their children to and from these religious instructions, with public funds and school facilities strictly prohibited from being used for these purposes.
Parents are given the right to take legal action against any educational institution that prevents their children from attending these courses. The legislation also redefines “chronically absent” to exclude students attending religious instruction.
Greg Chafuen, senior counsel at the Alliance Defending Freedom, stated, “Parents have the right and responsibility to guide the upbringing and education of their children. The government should not stop families from raising their children in their family’s faith,” according to a statement from the organization.
This move aligns with the precedent set by the U.S. Supreme Court’s 1952 decision in Zorach v. Clauson, which upheld religious released time as part of American tradition and not a violation of the First Amendment’s Establishment Clause. Similar legislation exists in other states, such as Ohio and Oklahoma.
However, Ohio’s law has faced criticism from the Freedom From Religion Foundation, an advocacy group for the separation of church and state. Co-President Annie Laurie Gaylor expressed concern, stating, “If parents want their children to learn about the [B]ible, there are so many ways to do it without cutting into valuable school hours,” as per a statement released in 2023. The group has reported complaints about non-participating students being assigned additional work or no work at all, seemingly as a penalty for not attending the religious classes.
This article was originally written by www.christianpost.com
