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Over the years, our proclamation has gone through a number of revisions. We thought we'd share some of the earlier versions so you could see how we got where we are today!
Proclamation for the Separation of School and State
Our purpose We want children to grow into responsible, effective, caring adults.
Our problem More and more children are failing to reach these goals.
Our premises · Parents have both the responsibility and the right to provide an education for their children. · All education has three dimensions: knowledge, skills, and values.
Our situation The diversity of values supported by parents, and the differing hopes they hold for their children, cannot be adequately addressed by a “common school system,” even if it is well funded and staffed with competent, caring teachers.
As a result, serious conflicts arise between parents and schools, sometimes escalating into “school wars.” This dissension has harmful consequences:
· diminishes parental support for teachers, · undermines student respect for teachers, parents, and ultimately, all authority, · provokes hostility among groups contending for control of schools and children.
Our conclusion We can learn from the American experience with religion. The reason Americans enjoy a high degree of religious harmony, despite holding diverse religious values, is because government has been prohibited from compelling religious attendance, funding, and practice.
No conceivable “reform” of state schooling can ever resolve the conflicting values in education. We cannot have a society that is both free and peaceful when government legislators and regulators use our schools to shape attitudes or control the content of anyone’s mind.
By separating school from the state, we can live peacefully with our different values. By eliminating politically-determined imposition of values, we can promote social harmony, restore parental rights and responsibilities, and enable schools, teachers, and students to flourish in an environment of full educational freedom.
By my signature below,
May 24, 1995 Proclamation for the Separation of School and State
Whereas parents want their children to grow into responsible, competent, caring adults, and whereas more and more children are failing to reach this goal, and whereas parents have both the responsibility and the right to provide an education for their children, it is now time to ponder our schooling difficulties and propose a genuine solution.
Our difficulties Education and values cannot be separated. The diversity of values held by parents—and the differing hopes they hold for their children—cannot be addressed adequately by a “common school system,” even if it is well funded and staffed with talented, caring teachers.
We cannot have a society that is both free and peaceful when government legislators and regulators use our schools to shape attitudes or control the content of anyone’s mind. Serious disagreements arise between parents and school boards over whose values will be taught. These conflicts have harmful results:
· They reduce parent support for teachers, · They undermine student respect for teachers, parents and ultimately, all authority, · They cause dissension among groups contending for control of schools and children.
No conceivable reform of state schooling can ever resolve the conflicting values in education.
Our solution We can find the solution by studying America’s experience with religion. A major reason Americans enjoy a high degree of religious harmony, despite holding diverse religious views, is that government may not compel religious funding, attendance, or practice. Similarly, government must be prohibited from compelling school funding, attendance, and curriculum. Only then can we protect parent’s rights, and enable schools, teachers, and students to flourish in an environment of full educational freedom.
By my signature below,
October 21, 1996 Proclamation for the Separation of School and State
Whereas more and more children are failing to grow into responsible, competent, caring adults, and whereas parents have both the responsibility and the right to provide for an education for their children, and whereas government-free schooling served Americans well for over 200 years, it is time to return to the fundamentals from which the American Republic was born.
Why “Reform” Cannot Fix Government-run Schools Teachers teach more than academics. By their explanations and actions, educators impart the values they hold. Schools work when educators and families cooperate, not compete, over character formation. The diversity of Americans—and the differing hopes they hold for young people—cannot be addressed adequately by a “common school system,” even if it is well funded and staffed with talented, caring teachers.
Government schools create serious disagreements between parents and school boards over a host of issues. Conflicts escalate. Communities divide into factions contending for control. In the midst of this turmoil, how can children build an academic foundation, a sense of purpose, and even respect for teachers, parents, or other legitimate authority?
We cannot have a society that is both free and peaceful when the politically powerful use schools to shape attitudes or control the content of anyone’s mind. “Reform” of state schooling is not enough to overcome these difficulties.
How to Solve the Education Crisis Americans enjoy a high degree of religious harmony today because an earlier generation undid government compulsion in church funding, attendance, and practice.
Similarly, in a pluralistic society, we should undo government compulsion in school funding, attendance, and curriculum. Only then can we protect parents’ rights, enable students and teachers to flourish in an environment of educational freedom, and let all of us live out our diversity in harmony.
By my signature below,
June 1998 Proclamation for the Separation of School and State
Whereas parents have both the responsibility and the right to provide for education for their children, and
Whereas a state-financed school system—even one that is well funded and staffed with talented, caring teachers—cannot address the differing expectations that parents hold for their children, and
Whereas assumption by government of parents’ financial responsibility and consequent undermining of their authority leads to weaker families and social decline, and
Whereas the politically strongest factions inevitably use schools to shape attitudes and control the content of children’s minds,
Thus, it is clear that reform of state schooling will not solve the education crisis.
Therefore, we must end government compulsion in education funding, attendance, and content. Separation of school and state is essential to restore parental responsibility and create an environment of educational freedom in which both students and teachers can flourish.
By my signature below, I proclaim publicly that I favor the Separation of School and State.
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