2025-05-02 15:32:59

---

Attorney General Pam Bondi, who hosted the inaugural meeting of President Trump’s task force to eradicate anti-Christian bias in the federal government, said: “As shown by our victims’ stories today, Biden’s Department of Justice abused and targeted peaceful Christians while ignoring violent, anti-Christian offenses. Thanks to President Trump, we have ended those abuses, and we will continue to work closely with every member of this task force to protect every American’s right to speak and worship freely.” To accomplish Mr. Trump’s goal in public schools, he must employ the same strategy he is using to force Columbia University to honor the religious liberty rights of its Jewish community. Mr. Trump must use federal funding to influence how public schools treat religion. The Supreme Court has repeatedly declared that K-12 schools must protect the free exercise of religion on campus. However, many school districts persist in violating the religious liberty rights of their employees. Take the New Britain School District in Connecticut. The district is punishing Catholic teacher Marisol Arroyo-Castro for keeping a small crucifix in her personal workspace. Meanwhile, other teachers can have personal items such as images of Wonder Woman, sports memorabilia and inspirational quotes. This is a clear viewpoint discrimination under the Constitution’s free speech clause and a violation of Marisol’s rights under the free exercise clause. The establishment clause and the free exercise clause are not at odds, but, like many other school districts, New Britain cites the establishment clause to defend its discrimination against religious expression. In 2022, the Supreme Court rejected this establishment clause excuse in Kennedy v. Bremerton School District. Instead, the court declared that schools must respect the religious expression of their teachers. Justice Neil M. Gorsuch wrote that the free exercise and establishment clauses have “complementary purposes, not warring ones where one Clause is always sure to prevail over the others.” He emphasized that the establishment clause does not “require the government to single out private religious speech for special disfavor.” After First Liberty Institute warned the New Britain School District that its punishment of Marisol violated the Constitution, the district doubled down. It released notes from the administration about Marisol’s employment to the media, violating state law. The district also retaliated against Marisol for standing her ground by reassigning her to a nonteaching position. Four months after Marisol was walked out of school with her crucifix in a box, she was forced to seek an injunction in federal court to get back into the classroom. Connecticut receives $550 million in federal funding to support its K-12 education. The Trump administration should leverage this massive assistance to defend Marisol and make an influential statement about the importance of religious liberty in schools. The hostility toward Marisol indicates a larger effort in public schools to teach students to despise religion. Texas seeks to change this by educating students about the critical role Christianity played in creating our freedoms. Late last year, the Texas State Board of Education adopted Bluebonnet Learning, a curriculum for Texas school districts that includes biblical references. This year, a coalition led by the American Civil Liberties Union wrote a letter to all Texas school districts claiming that Bluebonnet Learning is unconstitutional. It threatened the schools with legal action if they used the state-created materials. However, the Supreme Court has long declared that the Constitution permits the study of the Bible in public schools because of its literary and historical qualities. The ACLU’s efforts squelch religion from our schools. Mr. Trump should make clear that such efforts will fail and any school districts participating in religious hostility will face federal scrutiny. To continue living in a free country, we must protect religious liberty. Americans cannot be free without the ability to control their consciences. If we don’t teach our children this vital truth, the next generation will ignorantly watch as their rights erode and the most successful republic in history will be no more. • Keisha Toni Russell is senior counsel at First Liberty Institute and author of “Uncommon Courage: Defending Truth and Freedom While There Is Still Time.” First Liberty represents Marisol Arroyo-Castro. To learn more, go to firstliberty.org.