cross-posted from: https://lemmy.world/post/50187606
The threat arrives in plain language. “Failure to comply could jeopardize eligibility for state educational scholarship programs,” Uthmeier wrote, aiming at the funding stream that carried roughly 88 percent of Florida’s more than 94,000 Catholic school students last year. He gave the bishops until August 7 to respond — ten days before most Florida schools open for the new year.
Within hours, the attorney general announced the letter on X. “Ironically, they won’t offer religious exemptions as prescribed by state law,” he wrote. “This is troubling and may disqualify them from state scholarships and vouchers.”
You don’t understand how the program they are talking about works. Its aim is to help low income families have the same opportunities/options as high income families. This is a strike at class equity. Regardless of if you hate religion, giving a poor kid a chance to network into well to do circles should be a good thing. Any private school, regardless of it being religious or secular can be eligible. This is the state government trying to force a religious institution to adopt their political stance. Then the poor are punished if they don’t. The Catholics don’t want to play ball.
We can’t let churches control vital infrastructure
That’s not what this is at all
Although I think religious exemptions should be widely prohibited
What do you mean?
Like, religious schools are still receiving an special benefit just because they’re religious, which is unfair. I also think that the more general defunding is bad, but school or not, you shouldn’t receive any special treatment just because of your religious nature.
Any private school is eligible regardless of if they are religious or not. Bunch of secular private schools are in the pool of scholarship eligibility. This isn’t a benefit for the schools/religous as much as its supposed to be a benefit for low income families.
Yeah, I was not discussing that, I’m with you on that. What I’m talking is about the broader concept and appliance of religious exemptions (you do not pay the same amount of taxes [but a minor amount], or you do not pay taxes at all, because you are religious).
Because, if I understood well, that’s also being defunded, and I’m in favor of that, even while I’m not favorable to the idea of defunding them in general, because they still make a valuable social labor.
Sorry if I’m explaining myself bad.
Oh, I mean yeah I guess idk. I have strong thoughts about tithing and how those funds should be treated internally and externally. Not really the place for that conversation though.