Humanists,

They’re at it again: the religious right has unveiled a bill that would completely overhaul the US tax system to send billions of taxpayer dollars to religious schools. We need to speak up now, because we’re hearing from friends in Congress that there’s a good chance the majority will try to sneak this proposal into a larger bill.

As humanists, we know that school vouchers do a world of harm. The religious right says they promote “educational freedom,” but private school vouchers do not provide real freedom or choice to students and parents. The “choice” in voucher programs is given entirely to private schools, which can choose to legally discriminate against students for reasons including disability, sexual orientation and gender identity, religion, academic achievement, and economic status. 

Private school voucher programs undermine our nation’s public schools by diverting desperately needed resources away from the public school system to fund the education of a few, select students in private, often religious, schools. 

The Educational Choice for Children Act would incentivize charitable support for school choice options, like private schools, by providing $10 billion in annual tax credits for individuals who donate to nonprofit organizations that give students education scholarships. You can read the bill here.

If parents want to send their kids to religious private school, fine. But our tax dollars shouldn’t fund it. Your elected officials should be committed to strongly opposing private school voucher programs, including those structured as tuition tax credits. Take just one moment now to urge Congress to oppose the Educational Choice for Children Act.