We recently took swift action to put an end to blatant anti-Christian discrimination in Groton-Dunstable public schools. A local parent tipped us off to the fact that the school district has a “Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Advisory Committee” made up of community members appointed by the school committee. The advisory committee’s stated goal is to help “create a welcoming community for ALL students.” Like many DEI initiatives, however, it did the exact opposite.
In the advisory committee’s own charter, they stated that committee members would be chosen “from a pool of community applicants who represent a broad range of perspectives and voices, with a preference for those who represent marginalized perspectives. This includes, but is not limited to, individuals who identify as BIPOC, LGBTQIA+, disabled, economically unstable, non-Christian, and newcomers to the country.” In other words, embedded into this supposedly inclusive committee was explicit discrimination based on religion, as well as race, sexual orientation, gender identity, and other characteristics.
We also learned that when a former member of the committee who was a Christian spoke up about this discriminatory language, she was completely ignored by the other members. Feeling like she was getting nowhere, she resigned.
This type of anti-Christian discrimination is rampant in public schools, whether it is put in writing or slipped subtly into classes and presentations. Students, parents, and teachers who hold to Biblical teachings, especially on gender and sexuality, are increasingly being censored, punished, or labeled as bigots. For faith to flourish in the public square, we need to stand up against anti-Christian bigotry when we encounter it.
When we learned about this blatant discrimination, we sent a letter to the Groton-Dunstable school committee, which you can read here. We explained that this language clearly violated the First Amendment, both by infringing on the religious freedom rights of Christians and by essentially establishing a favored religion for applicants – namely, any religion but Christianity! We also made clear that if they did not remove this language and treat all applicants equally, we would find a plaintiff and initiate legal action.
Thankfully, the school responded quickly through its attorney and confirmed that the language has been removed from the charter as of last week.
It doesn’t take a First Amendment expert to understand that a government school can’t discriminate based on religion. We are thankful for the local advocates in Groton who brought this anti-Christian prejudice to our attention. If you or someone you know has been discriminated against because of your faith, we would love to help you. Contact us at [email protected].
MFI stands ready to defend against religious discrimination in the Commonwealth. We could not continue our vital work without your support. Please consider a generous donation today!