Big Win. Federal School Voucher Program Pulled From Trump's "One Big Beautiful Bill"
The Educational Choice for Children Act (ECCA) has been dropped from the Senate Reconciliation Bill (the thousand-page, trillion dollar bill that's working to enact much of Trump's agenda.)
ECCA would have redirected billions of tax dollars from the Treasury to school vouchers that would benefit private and religious schools.
Thanks to everyone who lobbied against ECCA at our Lobby Day in March, who used our Action Alerts to contact their legislators, and who participated in our 'Talk to Your District Office' campaign! Your voices made a huge difference in this final outcome.
The battle may not be over; ECCA could be revised and resubmitted, but it faces an uphill fight from here.
Supreme Court Allows Religious Opt-Outs in Public Schools
In Mahmoud v. Taylor, the Supreme Court sided 6-3 with parents who said their First Amendment rights were violated when they couldn't opt their kids out of lessons that included LGBTQ+ topics. This decision opens the door to more classroom discrimination and harms our country's secular, inclusive public education system.
Prayer in Schools has Americans Split
According to a new Pew study, 52% of American adults say public school teachers should be allowed to lead their students in prayers that refer to Jesus.
This is an alarming number to see, especially as states ramp up pressure for school prayer in public schools. Just this month, Governor Greg Abbott signed bills requiring Texas public schools to post the Ten Commandments and set aside time for student prayer.
In Other News
We’re thrilled to announce that Atheists United is now an official member of the Secular Coalition for America.
Upcoming Events You Should Know About:
July 17-19th: Secular Student Alliance’s Conference in Cincinnati, OH
July 18-20: The Scopes Trial Centennial Conference celebrates the case that decided public schools would teach human evolution instead of religious fundamentalism.
September 19 - 21: Recovering from Religion Fall Excursion. Connect and recharge with the secular community during a fun weekend away.
