Religion & American Law

A preschool in Little Rock, Arkansas is under investigation for inappropriate handling of state tax dollars as evident in the endorsement of Christianity interwoven with the school curriculum. The preschool, Growing God’s Kingdom, is not a state institution and is owned by a Representative Justin Harris, a state legislator. However, this preschool has received over 1 million dollars since 2006 from the Arkansas Better Chance (ABC) program. The ABC program is funded by both federal and state task dollars and distributes money across all preschools in Arkansas. Growing God’s Kingdom is heavily religious based (as evident in the name of the program) and Christianity is included in the curriculum. This is evident in the preschool staff’s handbook, which instructs employees to “share the love of Jesus with these children” and “teach them the word of God.”

There is a clear issue in this scenario regarding the Establishment Clause of the First Amendment. While this preschool is open to the public, as it is even mentioned that children from Atheist households are participants, the program clearly revolves around Christian principles. A program that endorses religion to this extent and receives government funding is problematic, as Rob Boston, an ABC spokesman, argues that Growing God’s Kingdom should not be allowed to “inject” religion into a government funded program. However, he proceeds to conclude that to do this would be impossible, as the preschool program is completely religious based, indicated blatantly by its title. This situation exemplifies the common issue of government funding, education, and religious entanglement. In the past, Supreme Court cases have granted government funding that extended to all children, including those enrolled in private religious schools. In Mitchell v. Helms, the government enabled loans to be given to religious schools to provide textbooks to students. The present issue is similar in that ABC provides aid to preschools which is in the children’s best interest, however the educational context is very different and religious endorsement is very clear.

I believe ABC inappropriately provides financial support to Growing God’s Kingdom. As a Christian, I see no issue in the curriculum of this preschool program. However, I simply believe they should not be receiving government funding. It is unfair to use state and federal tax dollars, which are not to be incorporated with religion, to benefit this school. One who is not Christian should not have to support a Christian program as mandated by the federal government. As Boston suggested, ABC should not continue administering funds to this preschool unless religion is completely removed from the curriculum. Yes, non-Christians are able to enroll in this preschool, but that does not warrant the program to revolve around religious principles when government money is being spent. If someone disagrees with the curriculum at this school, they do not have to send their child there, but they also should not have to indirectly fund the program. I am in no way in disagreement with the religious curriculum in Growing God’s Kingdom, however I believe they should not be funded by tax-payers’ money.