By John Lyon
Arkansas News Bureau
LITTLE ROCK — The state Board of Education today unanimously approved a 30-day comment period for a proposed state rule to bar the use of state early childhood education funding on religious activities.
Breck Hopkins, chief counsel for the state Department of Human Services, testifies Monday before the state Board of Education as state ABC Program Administrator Paige Cox looks on. (John Lyon photo)
The rule proposed by the state Department of Human Services states that preschools receiving money from the Arkansas Better Chance program are prohibited from conducting religious activities unless they occur outside of a seven-hour school day. DHS administers the ABC program, which is funded by the state Department of Education.
Board member Ben Mays of Clinton questioned how the state could only fund a seven-hour school day and not fund events that happen after the seven-hour period.
“How do you cut off the expense of heating the building at … seven hours?” he asked.
“The courts have been clear that you don’t have to draw the line that sharply,” said Breck Hopkins, chief counsel for DHS. “You don’t have to get down to the penny to be constitutional.”
Board member Jim Cooper of Melbourne said he thought the rule might be too strict.
“If a 4-year old child decides they want to say a prayer before their lunch, if they cross their heart in a religious gesture during the seven-hour day, obviously that ABC program would be in violation of these rules,” he said.
Hopkins said the rule would prohibit children from being told to pray but would not prohibit them from praying on their own.
Rep. Justin Harris, R-West Fork, owns the Growing God’s Kingdom preschool in West Fork, which received $534,600 in ABC money for the current school year. The proposed rule was prompted by a complaint about Harris’ school from the Washington-based group Americans United for the Separation of Church and State.
Sen. Johnny Key, R-Mountain Home, also owns two Christian-themed schools that receive ABC money — Noah’s Ark Preschool and Open Arms Living Center, both in Mountain Home. They received $194,000 and $97,200, respectively, for the current school year.
After the public-comment period, the rule will go back to the Board of Education for approval. It also must be reviewed by the Legislature’s Administrative Rules and Regulations Subcommittee and the Legislative Council.
Harris has called on the Legislature to reject the proposed rule. Key has said he is working with DHS to get clarifications on some aspects of the rule, but that he expects to comply with it and does not anticipate opposing it as a legislator.
February 13th, 2012 at 5:41 pm
Any State funding? That is way too broad. The State reallocates our tax dollars to many different parts of our lives and businesses. We provide them funds so that they can give the money back to us with strings attached. I suspect the Washington based group doesn’t really care about what is best for Arkansans.
February 14th, 2012 at 10:04 am
I’ve spent 26 years + in law enforcement and I’ll be the first to tell you we built this country on prayer and having faith in GOD when they took that away from our school system the juvenile crime rate has sky rocketed I think it’s about time we bring religion back to our schools and the pledge our forefathers made. Then see where we go from there it was good for our past generations and we have done just fine if the ones against religion in this country don’t want it that’s their prefrance stop bowing down to them its our rights to and we shouldn’t have to suffer because of them. That’s what’s wrong with our governement if one doesn’t like something make every body pay they need to remember this is America and that’s what our forefathers built this country on and it’s worked for 100’s of years and it will keep working so I say put prayer back in all our schools for all grade levels.
February 17th, 2012 at 3:06 am
Either Arkansas does not have very high educational standards or you did not pay any attention in school. This country was not founded on religious principles. It was founded as a secular republic because the Founders had seen the results of church/state involvement in Europe. It’s true many colonists came to America to freely practice their religion because the state sanctioned religion in their country became repressive, just as evangelical Christians are now practicing religious intolerance here. Evangelical Christianity is a serious threat to all our freedoms if they are allowed to impose their views on everyone else.
Religion is the most divisive invention of the human animal. Yes, throughout our history evangelicals have continually tried to tear down the protections provided in the Consititution. Read, if you can, the Founders public and personal comments on the subject. Your view of our history is skewed by your religious beliefs, undoubtedly developed by listening to pastors with a desire to tear down the Constitution to give their twisted version of Christianity hegemony over over the government and people of the United States. I’m sure you also believe the tripe published by evangelical apologists who twist the truth and simply make up lies to suit their purpose.
You wrote “if one doesn’t like something make every body pay”, what is the difference between that and evangelicals imposing their perverted ideologies on all who don’t agree with them? Sectarian prayer and proseletyzing does not belong in public schools or in government. Freedom thrives when religion and government are kept apart. You have the right to practice your religion as you see fit as long at you harm no one in the process. You do not have the right to impose it on anyone else.
I was in law enforcement for twenty years and quite frankly I’m embarassed by that there are officers out there who have little or no knowledge about this country’s history or the Constitution. Promoting the lies of the Christian Right is not being patriotic, you are merely violating the oath you took to uphold the Constitution of this great country.
If a religious organization takes federal money to aid in the operation of a hospital or social services then they have no right to impose their beliefs on anyone else. You would certainly agree that a Buddhist, Hindu, Muslim or other religious organization taking government money should not be allowed to proseletyize in order to obtain their services, why do you believe it is all right for your particular brand of theology to do so?
February 25th, 2012 at 6:10 pm
I have been a high school teacher for 15 years. Those that are so quick to pray, who demand their “religious rights,” who join Fellowship of Christian Athletes are many times the ones who wind up being busted with crack pipes, getting their girlfriends pregnant and living on Welfare and Food Stamps. I will teach my children religion – NOT YOU!