Jewish Federation of Portland, Oregon Joins Effort to Limit Conservative Christian Released Time Program
By JewsOnFirst.org, December 2010
JewsOnFirst.org has posted a copy of a letter jointly signed by the Jewish Federation of Greater Portland, the local chapter of Americans
United for Separation of Church and State
and the Center for Inquiry Portland, calling on the Sherwood School District to use state law to limit a proselytizing
Protestant group's disruption of the school day.
The group, PREP4kids (PREP translating as Portland Released-Time Education Program), used state law permitting religious instruction during the school day
to demand a disruptive arrangement and to direct children in the program to proselytize their "unchurched" classmates. We understand that the letter, excerpts of which are below,
successfully encouraged the Sherwood School District to apply the law's limits to PREP4kids.
The undersigned parents and organizations were informed that PREP4Kids intends to
start in our children’s elementary schools here in Oregon.
We recognize that the law allows parents’ right to exercise their freedom of conscience
by releasing their children for part of the day for religious instruction. At the
same time, we have important concerns about the quality of academic instruction
for the remaining students, as well as their right to be free from proselytizing
at their public school.
Religious Released Time, particularly the PREP4Kids program, is very unpopular with
school staff. Although PREP4Kids could schedule released time on days that would
minimize the burden placed on teachers, schools, and non-participating students,
they have dictated days and times that are the most disruptive to the schools....
They also insist that PREP be held at their regularly scheduled time even for 2-hour
delayed openings due to inclement weather, and even though in their literature they
admit, "We realize this could be an inconvenience for some teachers since it might
pull the children out of a core class."
However, the Oregon Supreme Court ruled in Dilger v. School District 24 352 P2d
564 (1960) that “the public school may dictate the days and time the children may
be excused." We confirmed this interpretation with the Oregon School Board Association....
The PREP4Kids program brochure states: "The mission of PREP4Kids is to help students
and their families find purpose and direction in life..." PREP4Kids is a self-described
"evangelical ministry" designed to reach "unchurched families" so that "parents
come to know the Lord." The program address "those who've never had a bible in their
hand" and focuses on elementary schools because this is where children can be reached
"before their world view is formed." According the PREP4Kids’ own statements, the
intent is "spreading the Gospel." Children are encouraged to invite their friends,
who then invite their friends in turn, and so on. The whole enterprise is centered
around "invit[ing] unchurched classmates to learn from the Bible."
Way to address this: 1. Remind school staff that the PREP4Kids program is not a
school program and that the staff should treat it with neutrality, not giving the
program or participating students special treatment....
To see the complete document (PDF), Please click here.