AT WAR WITH THE TEACHERS UNIONS: Part 2 - Teachers Have the Right to Take a Religious Exemption

NOTE: this is the 2nd part in a series of posts in which we will discuss concrete steps to do battle with and ultimately substantially defund teachers unions. These unions are clearly a subsidiary of the DemocRATic Party, and they are a big part of what is wrong with public education.

===================================================================================

What do you do if you are a teacher unhappy about the leftist agenda being pushed by your school district? To make it even more egregious, how do you like a significant portion of your union dues being used for political purposes that push such agenda?

There is good news for you. You may take a "Religious Exemption," and have ALL OF YOUR DUES go to a charity. They might make it a little difficult for you to do, but the law is on your side.

A classic case of union abuse occured at Cuesta College in San Luis Obispo, California.

SOURCE
Professor Prevails, Union Capitulates
PACIFIC JUSTICE INSTITUTE
23 April, 2003
San Luis Obispo, CA - After a year of battling, the Cuesta College Federation of Teachers finally agreed to allow one of its professors to have all of his union dues diverted to a charity of his choice. Despite making repeated requests, Professor Paul Bauer had previously been denied the right to divert his mandatory "fair share" union fees to a charity that did not conflict with his religious convictions. The choice of charities to which the union had restricted this instructor were the ACLU, Planned Parenthood, the Gay and Lesbian Alliance, and a local scholarship fund that was clearly geared toward furthering labor union interests.

Acting on behalf of the instructor, the Pacific Justice Institute made several written formal demands to the union that it either provide a list of acceptable charities, or allow the instructor to independently select his own desired charities. In order to prevent a lawsuit against them, the union finally capitulated. "I am relieved this is finally over," said Professor Bauer. "I did not want to go to trial, but would have if it had been necessary. I am extremely grateful to Pacific Justice Institute and their Affiliate Attorney Richard Kahdeman for their valuable representation."

"Under Title VII of the 1964 Civil Rights Act, the unions not only have a legal obligation to refrain from discriminating on the basis of religion, they must reasonably accommodate the religious practices and beliefs of the employees they purportedly represent," said Brad Dacus, president of the Pacific Justice Institute. "Compliance with Title VII does not end with the union grudgingly agreeing to divert a religious objector's fees to charity. The whole purpose of accommodation would be defeated if an employee could be made to support an organization or fund that profoundly offends his religious convictions."

The Pacific Justice Institute is a non-profit 501(c)(3) legal defense organization specializing in the defense of religious freedom, parental rights, and other civil liberties.

PACIFIC JUSTICE INSTITUTE
P.O. Box 4366 • Citrus Heights • CA • 95611
Phone:(916) 857-6900 • Fax:(916) 857-6902
info@pacificjustice.org

In Part 1 of this series, I asked for organizational help. Will someone volunteer to manage a ping list? Will someone volunteer to help assign tasks?

If we can get some significant FReeper participation in sending email to teachers, we might be able to make a difference. There are many teachers, particulary in California, who are quite upset that the union confiscated more money without permission to fight Proposition 75. They need a little assistance in knowing what to do. The premier conservative activist site on the Internet should be able to give that assistance.

Imagine several million dollars going to the Boy Scouts instead of the union thugs. Maybe we can help getting this snowball rolling downhill.

Christian Teachers Group is Alternative to Left-Wing NEA
Randall Murphree
Agape Press

"Parents must not abdicate their parental responsibilities to their child's public school," says Finn Laursen. Laursen is executive director of Christian Educators Association International (CEAI). He is himself a product of public schools and worked 32 years in public schools.

Founded in 1953, CEAI became the first national organization of professional Christian educators working in public, private and charter schools. From the beginning, the group has served the education community by encouraging, equipping and empowering Christian educators in public and private education.

For many, CEAI is the perfect alternative to the National Education Association, a teachers union that has been leaning hard to the political left for decades. Like NEA, CEAI provides many benefits for its members, such as professional liability insurance. It also views teaching as a God-given calling and ministry and promotes the Judeo-Christian ethic in public schools.

Recent Issue Concerns: Homosexual Agenda, Abortion CEAI does not become involved in local school debates. However, when moral concerns or parental rights are at stake, CEAI is eager to see parent-friendly results. For example, in Lawton, Oklahoma, CEAI regional director David Williams learned in January that the Gay, Lesbian, Straight Education Network (GLSEN) was attempting to form an affiliate at his son's high school. Lawton is a city of 81,000 in southwest Oklahoma.

Williams, who teaches in another school district, went into action. First he sought prayer from believers in the area. The local paper published his letter to the editor, and he enlisted the help of KVRS radio station manager Dan Allen. KVRS is the local American Family Radio station. Next came a local TV story addressing equal access and parental involvement. Local church members distributed materials by former homosexuals to students at the high school. Hundreds of e-mails went to local politicians, school board members, teachers and parents.

"To make a long story short," says Williams, "the club was voted down by the student government. What was intended to quietly appear without parent notification was thwarted." One result of the project was a practical 10-step plan of action that Williams will furnish to others who face the homosexual agenda in local public schools. (Williams can be contacted at davidw@ceai.org)

As a former public school counselor and administrator, Laursen agrees that teachers legally function in the role of parents when they supervise and teach children during the school day. However, he says schools should always respect the parent-child relationship.

As an example Laursen recently commended the school board in Roseville, California, for its decision regarding students leaving campus for medical procedures, including abortion. The school board was expected to amend district policy to allow students to secure such procedures without parental knowledge.

However, when parents learned of the proposed change, they packed the January 4 board meeting and found the board responsive to their concerns and rights.

School spokesman Larry Brubaker told AFA Journal that, while this issue is certainly divisive in many school systems, the Roseville board stood with their parents. "The school will not release students for medical reasons without parental permission," he said. The city of 45,000 is near Sacramento and has 8,000 students in its school district.

2005 Prayer Focus

CEAI is not politically aggressive, and its leaders take care not to enter the public arena in a combative stance. One CEAI vision for 2005 is to improve education in America through prayer and networking. The current prayer campaign is called "Raise Your Hand."

"The goal [of the campaign]," said Williams, "is to enroll one million prayer partners who are committed to praying for their own local schools. The prayer focus is to have a teacher encouragement group offering prayer support in every school nationwide."

The overriding purpose of everything the group does is defined in this -- to preserve traditional Christian values of faith and family in our schools. CEAI offers personnel in public or Christian schools -- administrators, teachers and support staff -- a place to call their professional home.

Randall Murphree, a regular contributor to AgapePress, is editor of AFA Journal, a monthly publication of the American Family Association. This article appeared in the April 2005 issue.

Christian Educators Association International (www.ceai.org)

Raise Your Hand (www.raiseyourhand.us)

Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.