Texas exempts religious private schools from reopening guidelines

[left-of-center2012]

Source: The Hill

Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton (R) said Friday that private schools are exempt from having to follow local health restrictions regarding school openings. Paxton said in an open letter to religious private institutions that forcing such schools to comply with local reopening guidelines would be unconstitutional.

“Under the Governor’s orders, local governments are prohibited from closing religious institutions or dictating mitigation strategies to those institutions,” Paxton wrote. “Local governments are similarly prohibited from issuing blanket orders closing religious private schools. Because a local order closing a religious private school or institution is inconsistent with the Governor’s order, any local order is invalid to the extent it purports to do so.

“Moreover, local public health orders attempting to restrict the provision of religious instruction through religious private schools violate the United States and Texas Constitutions and the Texas Religious Freedom Restoration Act," he added.

“Thus, as protected by the First Amendment and Texas law, religious private schools may continue to determine when it is safe for their communities to resume in-person instruction free from any government mandate or interference. Religious private schools therefore need not comply with local public health orders to the contrary,” Paxton concluded.

Read more: https://thehill.com/homenews/state-watch/507952-texas-exempts-religious-private-schools-from-reopening-guidelines

[milestogo]

1. Let them inhale viruses

and bring them home to the rest of their religious family members...

[Thomas Hurt]

2. Just giving them the opportunity to prove their Lord and Savior Trump right about the hoax thing...

[SWBTATTReg]

3. And they want to exempt these thugs from possible lawsuits when students and others get sick...

and/or die from the CV possibly.

If I were the parents of children going to a private school, I'd think twice about sending the kids, being that it's possible that the school will have immunity and thus don't care if kids and/or others get sick, they won't get sued as a result, which is one important reason to have remedies available via the courts, in case such things happen (kids / others get sick due to sloppy procedures or worst).

[DFW]

4. To quote Tom Lehrer

„We‘d rather kill them off by peaceful means.“

I hope the „religious“ people are all denied care when they come down with the virus. Save the children when possible, but let their would-be educators-killers ask their diety for forgiveness as their lungs slowly turn to wet sponge.

[erronis]

14. Why "save the children"? So they can spawn some more? Definition of children - up to 21?

Let the parents that have these children take care of them - no matter what.

Unless they are willing to give up all parental rights and declare themselves as unfit. Which would be accurate.

[DFW]

16. Save the children because they were indoctrinated unwillingly

A friend of my wife’s parents was in the Hitler Youth at age 10 when the war ended. All German boys his age were by that time. He said they were never given a chance to think for themselves or know better. It’s the same with children of the God Squad in the USA. If they never had a chance to think for themselves, they deserve at least that before writing them off.

[erronis]

17. I understand and was being a bit too flippant. But the question remains, when do these "children"

start to become adults and be held accountable?

I'm not expecting an answer since no society has a single definition of adulthood.

At least one, not very successful, experiment had all children become property of the "state"at birth, so the state took full responsibility for their lives (and deaths).

In the USofA (for example), there are 73 year old men who wield incredible power and who are totally irresponsible.

[DFW]

25. But that 73 year old was not indoctrinated by the state. He was emotionally damaged by his father

Our Hitler Youth friend grew up to be a successful local manager of a bicycle factory who was locally known for being an efficient, compassionate, understanding employer.

He used to tell me that unless you have been completely indoctrinated as he was, it is impossible to imagine what it is like to see every belief pounded into you since birth revealed to be an evil lie--that you were nothing more than a convenient tool for heartless propagandists.

As sort of a sequel, the daughter of some German friends of ours, born in 1985, once told me that the worst thing the Nazis did to her was to rob her of the right to be proud of her country and her culture. Today's generation seems to have finally escaped this, but the wounds to the national psyche lasted for several generations, and the pockets of neo-Nazi youth show that the evil can be studied and re-learned.

Most Trumpanzees, I am rather confident, do not travel extensively abroad, and when they do, they rarely speak the languages of the countries they visit. If they did, they would learn, as did our old ex-Hitler Youth friend, that all the crap that Fox "News" and National Hate Radio had been pounding into their heads was just as much of an evil lie as anything Göbbels had ever thought up.

[raccoon]

27. Not to quibble, but 74-year-old. NT

[cstanleytech]

5. Total moron as even the 1st amendment has some limitations for everyone including

religious institutions.
For example they cannot tell people how and when to firebomb a Planned Parenthood center (though I am willing to bet they wish they could) nor can their clergy engage in collecting certain items like child porn as that is not protected by the 1st amendment.

[bucolic_frolic]

6. When this is all said and done, if it ever is, they will realize

Jonestown involved far less suffering.

[erronis]

15. That's what trump was proposing. Inject bleach, swallow his drugs, spray disinfectant in the lungs.

Hell, even mustard gas would be quicker than killing them through negligence and (r)epuglicon cowardice.

[soothsayer]

7. Onward, Christian soldiers

[yaesu]

8. so, if someone decides to cook some meth in a religious private school is a ok with the Texas AG?

because, hey, stopping it violates the United States and Texas Constitutions.

[paleotn]

9. Hey, whatever...

They want to turn their religious schools into petri dishes, so be it. Thin out that herd.

[stopbush]

10. Make believe (religion) trumps reality yet again in the land of the god botherers.

[Dem2theMax]

11. As long as they keep to themselves.

They need to remove the 'Do unto others as you would have them do unto you' from their curriculum.

They care about no one but themselves.

------> Jesus

[ananda]

12. Unconstitutional?

WTF???

[Igel]

22. TX constitution. n/t

[Lonestarblue]

13. Our politicians in Texas are big on religion and stupid on law.

Governor, Lt. Governor, and AG all trying to kill people with the virus. I’ve always thought that too much religion rots the brain. They’re living proof.

[Yo_Mama_Been_Loggin]

18. They gonna pray the virus away?

[Igel]

23. Key word here isn't "close" but "force."

It's not the case that unless forced at gunpoint schools won't generally do what's best for their students.

The point is that the health officials--who may or may not take very local conditions into account--can't (per Paxton) compel a private religious school to close. Nobody's saying they can't or won't close.

[BigmanPigman]

19. God will protect them, who needs science!

And to follow up on that theory, no medical help for you and your family when they get sick. I am sure they are fine with that deal (until they get sick). No insurance, no help either...sorry.

[LastLiberal in PalmSprings]

20. I was wondering when that was going to happen.

Only plebeians send their kids to public schools. There are always different rules for the privileged class.

[mdbl]

21. Might help cull the herd of religious morons

that think Trump was chosen by god LOL

[amcgrath]

24. There is an assumption

That this means that Christian schools will be reopening as Trump wishes. But the obvious alternative to this, is that seeing the actual health data, Christian schools will be able to close without penalty, while public schools risk defunding by closing.

The other problem with this of course, is that religious groups are sometimes allowed exemptions to rules based on their religious teachings and beliefs. Where in the bible, are christians ordered to ignore health advisories that impact and will harm others in their community?

[Nitram]

26. I agree 100% with that policy. Let's see if their god protects them.