Taxpayers funding Christian anti-science private schools

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The discussion centers on the controversial use of public tax dollars to fund private religious schools, particularly focusing on Eternity Christian Academy in Louisiana, which teaches creationism and uses the Loch Ness Monster to debunk evolution. Critics argue that this practice undermines public education and perpetuates ignorance, as taxpayer money supports curricula that reject scientific principles. The conversation highlights concerns over the lack of educational standards for private schools, with calls for regulation to ensure a minimum level of education. Participants express frustration over the implications of school vouchers, questioning the fairness of funding religious education with public funds. The debate also touches on broader issues of educational quality in the U.S. and the potential for discrimination in private religious schools. Overall, the thread reflects a deep concern about the intersection of education, religion, and public funding.
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skeptic2 said:
Evo, I wonder to what extent these private schools are allowed to discriminate. Can they accept only the students with the top grades? If so, they would be able to compare the performance of their students to those of the public schools and declare how much better they are. Public schools could be left with a majority of under performers.

Are they, as a private religious school, allowed to refuse admittance to students not of the same denomination as the school? Are they allowed to expel students who don't uphold the school's religious values, e.g. homosexual students or who hold conflicting religious beliefs, e.g. Jehovah's Witnesses who don't salute the flag?
That's the problem, there is no education standard for private schools. Each state handles things differently. As far as to what they can get away with, I don't know if there is any tracking.

As far as educational standards, here's an article on New York.

Private and parochial schools -- from small church-run academies to prestigious Manhattan prep schools -- educate about 15 percent of all school-age children in New York State, or 485,453 in 1997. While state law requires these schools to provide an education at least equal in quality to that of public schools, they are largely free to establish their own curriculums and methods and do not have to administer state assessment tests.

Public schools, too, are pressing the state to include the nonpublic schools in the new requirements, saying students will otherwise leave the public schools for less demanding private ones.

http://www.nytimes.com/1998/12/26/n...dards-for-diplomas.html?pagewanted=all&src=pm
 

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