Remember when the first Classical Charter school in Florida was founded in Collier County? Now there are several, but their reach is expanding nationwide. Their founder, Erika Donalds, was recently extolled by Donald Trump at a Moms for Liberty rally. Mother Jones magazine, founded in 1976, has put the spotlight on Donalds. You can learn about her history, issues, and associations here. Donalds is likely to be a major spokesperson for abolishing the Florida constitutional provision requiring the separation of church and state in the public funding of religious charter schools. The attacks on public education have been relentless. Do we really want our schools to be dominated by particular ideologies? Shouldn’t public schools welcome children of all faiths and ethnicities? Should public tax dollars fund private, religious schools?
Dumping PragerU videos into the schools will blast a hole into separation between church and state. The perfect formula: Underpaid, overworked teachers, a serious teacher shortage, and ready-made, cartoonlike, propaganda videos with which to indoctrinate young children, free to use and encouraged by our own DOE. https://www.mediamatters.org/dennis-prager/lessons-florida-public-school-students-will-learn-prageru-kids
I am aware of a few charter schools that were set up under churches. The schools received the money BUT could not keep up with the expenses that maintaining a school requires.
Thanks Sue for sharing this. Very disturbing.
Thanks to Sue for sharing this very troubling article. You may recall that the Tallahassee Classical Charter School was an international embarrassment by banning the Michelangelo David. The Donalds are another reason Trump must never be President. Just even thinking she could be Secretary of 6Education is horrible. Also interesting that she and her former colleague are suing each other. Maybe they’ll knock each other out!
You are so correct…the line has been thinning for several years and needs to be challenged–tho this might not be the era to do it…