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Finally a win for families in Maine. As many of you are aware, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that not granting subsidies to families that enroll their children in Christian schools is unconstitutional. I congratulate the Carsons for taking this stand, which didn’t necessarily help their children, but certainly will be a blessing to Maine families.
We need more citizens to take a stand for our constitutional rights. For years, families who wanted their children to have an education that supported their faith were discriminated against so families had to pay their taxes and then pay tuition.
I am disappointed in the remarks by our attorney general. The money that will be used to pay tuition to religious schools comes primarily from parents’ money paid into the system from their property and other taxes.
Why is it that those of us of faith are accused of being intolerant, discriminatory and bigots when we are actually being discriminated against? Parents should have the right to educate their children according to their beliefs and values.
I think most private Christian schools provide an education that far surpasses public education. Typically classes are smaller and expectations are higher. Character building is of great importance. Behavior in the classroom is expected to be of the highest caliber and if not, there are consequences.
I was a public school teacher for 26 years and loved my job. I enjoyed teaching students of all academic levels. The community that I taught in was wonderful and very supportive of the school. Even so, I think it is wrong to not give parents the right to choose where they want their children to go to school. Public school does not work for all families. Parents do know what is best for their children and the institution that will best fit their family values.
Rep. Abigail Griffin
Levant