Some churches are launching new Christian schools on their campuses, seeking to give parents more education options that align with religious values.
State school voucher programs are not the driving reason, but they are making the start-up process easier, pastors and Christian education experts say. In Florida, Ohio and other states, there is now a greater availability of taxpayer funding to pay for K-12 private school tuition.
The demand for church-affiliated schools, they say, rose out of pandemic-era scrutiny over what children were being taught in public schools about gender, sexuality and other contentious issues.
Here are some of the key points arising from this development:
A fast-moving, multistate trend
Advocates for taxpayer-funded religious schools say their aim is not to hurt public schools. Rather, they say, it’s about giving parents more schooling options that align with their Christian values.
In Christian classrooms, pastors say religious beliefs can inform lessons on morals and character building, teachers are free to incorporate the Bible across subjects, and the immersive environment may give students a better chance of staying believers as adults.