WHO WE ARE
We are concerned parents and guardians, clergy, and community members who firmly believe in the separation of church and state for public schools.
Released Time for Religious Instruction (RTRI), as set by the 1952 Supreme Court case Zorach v. Clauson, is being misused by unscrupulous actors who seek to disrupt public school instruction by removing children from school during school hours. They see elementary school children as "mission fields" for a very specific religious world view. Respect for Public Schools - Washington opposes these bad actors and we are doing everything we can do to ensure that LifeWise, and similar programs, see very little success in our state.
Our Values
COMPASSION
DIGNITY
EQUALITY
TRANSPARENCY
FREEDOM
SAFETY
All families, regardless of their makeup, have a right to care and concern; there is no superior or "righteous" family structure.
All children have the right to be treated with kindness and dignity. Public schools have a responsibility to foster growth, community, and serve as a marketplace for ideas.
All religions, including no religion at all, are equally valid viewpoints. Public schools must maintain a separation of church and state, neither elevating any religion over another, nor endorsing any religion.
Any entity involved in a child's education must never be shrouded in secrecy, or otherwise obfuscated by cumbersome paperwork and threats of legal action for making information public.
Public schools must be free from religious instruction and influence in all forms, especially during school hours. Families are free to educate and participate in religious activities on their own time, outside of school hours.
Children must be kept safe in the school building or on its grounds during school hours, and taught by compassionate and certified teachers who have been throughly vetted through the WA State and local processes.
Community Voices
Jennifer, PARENT
"I'm firmly against organizations taking our students off property during the school day for any reason. But, most especially for religious indoctrination by a program targeting children, led by poorly-vetted teachers with a curriculum based in othering and discrimination."