No school vouchers for religious schools

Alabama state champion coach and AD fired for being a member of the wrong church

http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/highs...on-coach-ad-fired-being-member-102348634.html

One of the most successful coaches in the state of Alabama is suddenly out of a job after he was dismissed for what initially seems to be a remarkably trivial reason: He attends the wrong church.

East Memorial Christian Academy, here playing in blue, is without its coach weeks before kickoff — BeRecruitedEast Memorial Christian Academy, here playing in blue, is without its coach weeks before kickoff — BeRecruited

As reported by the Montgomery Advertiser, Prattville (Ala.) East Memorial Christian Academy super coach Scott Phillips, who led the school’s football program to its first state playoff birth in years and coached the boys basketball team to the first state title in any sport, was dismissed because he refused to force his family to attend East Memorial Baptist Church.

While Phillips had never been forced to attend the school’s affiliated church when he was only a coach, that changed when he became the school’s athletic director. As confirmed by the Advertiser, East Memorial Christian Academy’s athletic director was expected to attend the East Memorial Baptist Church, even though there was allegedly not an official clause in the contract requiring such attendance.

Now former East Memorial Christian Academy coach Scott Phillips — USA Today/Montgomery AdvertiserNow former East Memorial Christian Academy coach Scott Phillips — USA Today/Montgomery Advertiser

Phillips tried to make that work, getting his family to start each Sunday at a 9 a.m. service at East Memorial before attending an 11 a.m. service at his family’s church of choice, Church of the Highlands. Eventually that routine began to make Phillips feel dishonest, leading to a conversation with East Memorial officials where the coach and AD told them he didn’t feel comfortable attending Sunday services at East Memorial Baptist.

That was the last conversation he would have as the school’s AD.

"I was 30 seconds from turning the job down because of the church issue," Phillips told the Advertiser. "They wanted me to transition from the Church of the Highlands to East Memorial. I never really liked that, so I went back in my administrator’s office and told them I was willing to give this a try, but I don’t know how this will work out?

"That was the last thing said."



Phillips insists that he tried to shift his family from Church of the Highlands to Eastern Memorial Baptist, but said he never reached any level of comfort about the decision. Eventually, he had to deal with the situation head-on, hoping that Eastern Memorial officials would be reasonable about his faith.

That was apparently too much to ask.


"In a nutshell, I told them I miss my old church," Phillips recalls. "I went in to share my heart to a pastor. Knowing what might happen, but kind of saying, 'Maybe we can work something out?' I knew that wasn’t going to be the end of it because it was going to be a process. It wasn’t received well."

 

"Not the victory but the action; Not the goal but the game; In the deed the glory."

 

From the U.S. Constitution - Amendment 1:
Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion,

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A law giving school vouchers for religious schools is giving respect to an establishment of religion an is thus unconstitutional.
I would also argue that tax breaks to churches and religious donations is also a law respecting an establishment of religion and is thus unconstitutional. A strict constitutionalist will agree on this. Of course many take a very liberal view of this.

 

Not if the vouchers are available for all types of religious schools.

 

Wrong peil it is still unconstitutional. You're taking a liberal view of the constitution to suit your own religious beliefs.

 

East Memorial Christian Academy's actions against the coach are a clear violation of Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964.

 

We are probably not going to agree on this one, so lets just add this then...

School vouchers go to the individual student who then chooses what private school he wants to use the voucher at. For the government to say "Hey, you cant use that voucher at that school because we dont approve of some of those religious courses being taught" is unconstitutional because of freedom of religion.

I've never once heard anyone complain that a student at a university shouldnt get a pell grant because one of his classes has to do with religion and its really the exact same thing.

 

East Memorial Christian Academy can do whatever it wants, as it is a private school. Privately funded and privately run, it can make whatever rules it wants. Do I agree with the decision? Absolutely not. But there doesn't seem to be a whole lot that can be done about it.

 

peil would you support a bill for school vouchers but religious schools were excluded?

 

Yes...some progress is better than no progress.