Blog from the Capital

As I've posted before, Denver faces a ballot initiative this November that would institute a voucher system for pre-school, giving parents public funds to pay for private, including religious preschool. In the Denver Post today, Anti-Defamation League regional director Bruce DeBoskey says why he thinks it's a bad idea.

Unlike Head Start and other government-funded preschool programs, 1A contains no guidelines or restrictions on the use of taxpayer funds by religious institutions. There are no anti-discrimination provisions on admitting students or hiring staff, nor are there any requirements that preschools segregate the tax-funded programs from the religious instruction that such schools are created to promote.

Moreover, there are no restrictions against using tax revenues to teach hatred, prejudice or intolerance. Guidelines will be developed in the future by the politically appointed entity that will administer the plan, but at this time, it is an open question what those guidelines will require, or whether any of them will address religious practice, discrimination, or the content of what is taught.

In fact, when those regulations are considered, religious institutions will likely be adamant that government should have no say in what is taught in their preschools or whom they should hire as teachers. That is precisely why the separation of church and state is so important. It means not only that religion should stay out of government, but that government should not tell religious institutions what to say, teach or do.

He goes on to suggest positive solutions, ways in which public preschool initiative might avoid sending tax dollars to religious organizations.