The following quote may be attributed to Alliance Defending Freedom Senior Counsel Greg Chafuen regarding Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey’s signing Wednesday of SB 248, a bill that protects the right of parents to have their child briefly excused from school to receive religious instruction during the school day if they so choose:
“Parents have the right and responsibility to guide the upbringing and education of their children. The government shouldn’t stop families from raising their children in their family’s faith. S.B. 248 respects parents’ educational decisions, allowing public school children to be briefly excused from school to receive free, off-campus religious instruction taught by private charitable organizations. As the U.S. Supreme Court has explained, respecting parents’ decisions for their child to participate in released-time programs ‘follows the best of our traditions.’ ADF commends the Alabama Legislature, especially Sen. Shay Shelnutt and Rep. Susan DuBose for championing the bill. And ADF thanks Lt. Gov. Will Ainsworth and Gov. Ivey for their commitment to ensuring that parents remain in the driver’s seat when it comes to their children’s education.”
- Pronunciation guide: Chafuen (CHAFF’-wen)
Alliance Defending Freedom is an alliance-building, non-profit legal organization committed to protecting religious freedom, free speech, parental rights, and the sanctity of life.
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