<p><a href=“http://www.startribune.com/local/17406054.html[/url]”>http://www.startribune.com/local/17406054.html</a></p>
<p>should charter schools be allowed to be religious?</p>
<p>absolutely not.</p>
<p>My guess is that the minn staff who was supposed to moniter this school knew what was going on, but if they said anything, then they would have to look at all the schools that are connected with other religious faiths and it would opened a whole can of worms</p>
<p>But how many schools connected to other faiths are PUBLIC schools. All the Catholic schools around here are not free, and the parents and church puts up the $$ not the taxpayer.</p>
<p>I support charter schools, because I believe in alternatives for families. However, charter schools should NOT be religious. I am not a constitutional lawyer, so I won’t say “it’s unconstitutional” (but I think it is). Public schools should not be affiliated with a religion, plain & simple. </p>
<p>And my kids attended parochial school.</p>
<p>and my son went to a charter school (from 5th - 8th grade), sans religion</p>
<p>Public Charter schools can be established by any organization, but the government can’t support the establishment of religion within a school, according to the anti- Establishment Clause of the U.S. Constitution.</p>
<p>School-led prayer has been judged unconstitutional in public schools since the early l960’s, following the case of Madelyn Murray O’Hare whose reasoning was upheld by the Supreme Court. (Happiest day of my life in 6th grade when they took out prayer from public schools and I didn’t have to fold my hands and bow my head like my teacher said was the “right” way to pray, but my faith taught me differently). </p>
<p>Teachers can’t attend student prayer gatherings because it is incredibly coercive for kids to see the figures of authority (their teachers) align themselves with prayers or rituals of a specific faith. At that point, in the eyes of the child and parent, the teacher is no longer an agent of government (public school) but of the church (or mosque).</p>
<p>I’m glad the ACLU is onto this one. You just can’t have it both ways.</p>
<p>P3T, the idea that teachers can’t be seen at student prayer meetings seems odd. I would think they should have as much right to exercise religion as anyone else. Praying at a totally voluntary, outside-of-class meeting is not the same as leading a prayer in class (or praying aloud in class). I sub in a public high school that has had voluntary prayer by the school flagpole before or after school when teachers were very ill. I believe teachers & even the principal have attended. </p>
<p>As long as teachers/administrators do not proselytize, I don’t see the problem. Many students in our district go to church with the middle school & high school principals, who are all quite active in their churches.</p>
<p>I can’t believe a public school is allowed to function in this way. It’s obviously a religious school, and in blatant violation of the law. Certainly, no Christian school would be allowed to operate as a public charter—and well it shouldn’t! This school needs to be shut down.</p>
<p>just a note: </p>
<p>in milwaukee, under its voucher program parents are allowed to use state money to send thier kids to private schools. becasue the only viable alternatives are catholic schools, the state is pretty directly sponsoring church-backed schools and the supremes have ruled this legal. </p>
<p>from a practical point of view i dont see any difference with that and with this muslim school. no one is forced to attend parochal schools by voucher in milwaukee and nobody is forced to attend this muslim school either. </p>
<p>it may not be what you’d want-- me neither 'cause my kids get their dose of god at my chosen church-- but it very well could be legal if no one is coereced into going there. </p>
<p>other thing is that teaching religion is not the same as teaching ABOUT religion–common mistake that keeps any learning about religion – muslim, christian, or other-- out of most classrooms. this problem has cropped up with an arabic theme public school in NYC that has raised a huge ruckus and a jewish themed one, if i remember correctly, that’s opened somewhere in florida. </p>
<p>its an interesting question how much religion can be in public schools. can 4th or 5th graders initiate prayer in a shcool? why of course they can, i can believe that. everything there doesn’t appear right for sure. i’m always suspicious when any school doesn’t welcome visitors–what they hide can be crucial. i’m just suggestting that this may not be as cut and dried a case of breaking the church state wall as many here seem to believe.</p>
<p>In our town there are charter schools for lots of “cultural” purposes, i.e. African American and Hispanic heritage cultural based charter schools. No one is forced to go to these schools, but clearly they attract a certain kind of person. I wonder if the school in question is a Muslim cultural based school with actual religion sneaking in. Does that make a difference? I think it’s cultural to go wash your hands in a special way, but coercive if everyone is praying together.</p>
<p>I know many muslims who send their kids to school and they don’t wash their hands at school</p>
<p>the washing of the hands is a religious practice, not cultural</p>
<p>“I am not a constitutional lawyer, so I won’t say “it’s unconstitutional” (but I think it is).”</p>
<p>I am, and it is. Coercion has nothing to do with it. The state can’t run a parochial school even if every student in it is thrilled about the religious education there. There’s a lot of debate about the Milwaukee voucher program, but this is a much easier question. Under the law, charter schools are public schools, period.</p>
<p>Apparently the key sponsor of the school has ties to Islamist terror groups.</p>
<p>“TIZA has many characteristics that suggest a religious school. It shares the headquarters building of the Muslim American Society of Minnesota, whose mission is “establishing Islam in Minnesota.” The building also houses a mosque. TIZA’s executive director, Asad Zaman, is a Muslim imam, or religious leader, and its sponsor is an organization called Islamic Relief (USA).” </p>
<p>[KSTP.com</a> - Metro charter school accused of teaching Islam](<a href=“http://kstp.com/article/stories/S407036.shtml?cat=1]KSTP.com”>http://kstp.com/article/stories/S407036.shtml?cat=1)</p>
<p>[The</a> David Project Center For Jewish Leadership - Islamic Society of Boston Oust Another Original Trustee](<a href=“http://davidproject.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=158&Itemid=102]The”>http://davidproject.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=158&Itemid=102)</p>