Faith Communities Stand Up for Inclusive Public Schools

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On June 10, the House Education and Workforce Committee held a hearing on K-12 education, calling before them superintendents from school districts across the country. The hearing was designed to follow the same playbook as the higher education antisemitism hearings, using congressional pressure to target school leaders over inclusive school practices.

Ahead of the hearing, Interfaith Alliance helped organize a coalition of faith-based and interfaith organizations to submit a letter to the committee in support of inclusive public education. Thanks to Rep. Lucy McBath, that letter was entered into the congressional record.

The letter is grounded in the shared value, across faith traditions, to protect the dignity of every child. That means defending students' right to show up to school safely and as their full selves, free from bullying, exclusion, and erasure. 

The recent wave of legislation targeting LGBTQ+ youth has done the opposite, stripping civil rights protections, erasing student identities from classrooms and libraries, and leaving young people without the institutional support they need to thrive. As our coalition put it, "A threat to any community is a threat to all."

Read the letter here.

We are grateful to Rep. McBath and to every organization that signed on. Inclusive public schools are good for every student. People of faith will keep saying so.