DEAR EDITOR:

Ohio Senate Bill 293, now under consideration, is, I believe, a violation of our First Amendment Constitutional rights that prohibit establishing a national religion. The bill mandates that local school boards allow off-campus religious instruction, during public school hours. Local boards currently are permitted the option to consider such activity, while the new bill mandates they establish such programs. The intent is to establish Bible based Christian education.

In addition to ignoring the rights and legitimacy of others to believe and worship as they will outside of tax-funded schools, adopting such programs would necessarily cause transportation cost and safety considerations, be a disruption of school daily schedules and undermine parental guidance regarding religion in district homes not supporting the program. This legislation is typical of movement leaders proclaiming “they alone can fix it” when “it” requires no fix beyond parental involvement in religious guidance of their children outside of state-run organizations.

Bills like Senate 293 claim to support parental choice by limiting religious freedom. Many founding fathers of our republic were actually fleeing state mandated religions in their home countries where objectors to the rulers’ religion, often “Christian,” were subject to terrible punishment including burning alive.

Ohio Senate Bill 293 is not necessary, needlessly interrupts education, is unenforceable in many instances, e.g. divorced parental custody, and will likely be found to be in conflict with the Constitution provided enough citizens recognize it as indoctrination.

JIM CARTWRIGHT

Canfield