Americans United: Trump’s private school vouchers scheme is bad for students, bad for religious freedom and bad for democracy

Americans United for Separation of Church and State’s President and CEO Rachel Laser issued the following statement in response to President Donald Trump’s attempt to manipulate federal programs to fund private school vouchers, in an effort to divert what could be billions of dollars per year in public money to private, predominantly religious schools: 

Public funds belong in public schools.

“Rather than funding private religious schools that can discriminate and indoctrinate, Trump should focus on providing adequate resources to our country’s public schools that are open to all students and serve 90 percent of America’s children. Public funds belong in public schools.

“Expanding private school vouchers is part of the Project 2025 playbook for undermining our public education system and our democracy. Christian Nationalists want to divert public money to private religious schools even as they continue to strive to impose their narrow religious beliefs on public schoolchildren. Parents who care about their children’s education and taxpayers who care about quality public schools that are the building blocks of our communities should vehemently oppose this scheme.

Private school vouchers don’t work

“Private school vouchers don’t work: They don’t improve student achievement, and they especially fail students with disabilities, low-income students and rural students. Vouchers only provide ‘school choice’ for a select few, primarily wealthy families whose children never attended public schools in the first place, and for the private, predominantly religious schools that can pick and choose which students to accept. Vouchers don’t provide a choice to the majority of families that can’t afford private school tuition even with a voucher; to the students whom private schools may discriminate against on the basis of religion, disability, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, or other characteristics; or to the taxpayers who are forced to fund religion, often times in a faith that is not their own.

“Christian Nationalists are trying to use the machinery of the state to impose their religious beliefs on all of our children – and to get taxpayers to fund it. This scheme tramples the religious freedom of every taxpayer, forcing them to fund religion. Not on our watch. We need a national recommitment to keep church and state separate – our public schools and our democracy depend on it.”