Secular Coalition for Arizona | The Voice to the Legislature for the Arizona Nontheistic Community

Bill Creating Christian Bias in Public Schools to be Heard on House Floor!

Contact your Representative TODAY!

House Bill 2563, "schools; elective; biblical influence," (being heard on the House floor Tuesday, February 21) will unconstitutionally preference the teaching of the Christian bible in public schools! Currently, Arizona Revised Statutes (ARS) requires school boards to exclude all books, publications, papers and audiovisual materials of a sectarian, partisan or denominational character from public schools and public school libraries. HB2563 creates an exception to the ARS specifically for teaching the Christian bible in public schools. Other religious texts continue to be excluded from schools by the ARS.

The bill also requires the State Board of Education to include the history and literature of the Christian bible in History or English Arts standards and sets up guidelines for a school district or charter school to offer an elective course on "The Bible and Its Influence on Western Culture."

There is no question that religion has had tremendous impact on Western culture; however, allowing public schools to teach from the Christian bible and no other religious text clearly privileges the Christian religion and suppresses the voices of religious minorities and nonbelievers whose traditions have also contributed to Western culture. HB2563 violates the First Amendment of the United States Constitution by supporting and preferencing a particular religious perspective to the exclusion of all others. Further, HB2563 may violate Article II Section 12 of the Arizona State Constitution by applying public money to religious instruction.

Who should I contact?

Your State Representative. Find your Rep.

You can also contact the bill's sponsor, Terri Proud, and encourage her to consider a floor amendment that would remove the ARS sections that excludes all other perspectives rather than amending (as her bill does) to allow only the Bible class; if the ARS was amended in this way, her bill would no longer represent preferencing of one religious perspective:tproud@azleg.gov.

Call Secular Coalition for Arizona's Executive Director Seráh Blain if you have questions, or if you would like to attend the House Committee of the Whole to observe as this bill is heard: 602-363-8018;serah@secularAZ.org

When is this bill being voted on?

This bill is scheduled to be voted on in the House of Representatives Committee of the Whole on Tuesday, February 21 at 1:30 p.m.

Talking Points

HB 2563 allows the teaching of the Christian bible in schools, but excludes all sectarian and denominational materials that present other belief or nonbelief perspectives (including the Book of Mormon; Jewish texts like the Tanakh, Talmud and Midrash; the Koran, etc). This is unconstitutional.
Expensive constitutional lawsuits, costing taxpayer money, are sure to follow.

Ensure Equality in Education TODAY!

Equal, accesible education for all Arizona's students is essential for the future of our state--and for the future of reason. But two bills being heard in committee TODAY (February 6) will jeopardize access to quality education for many children in Arizona. Please take action immediately to let our legislators know that the nontheistic community will not tolerate discrimination in education!

Bill Descriptions

SB 1047, "Tax Credit; School Tuition Organizations," expands Arizona's current tax credit program for private schools. Tax payers are able to make donations to Student Tuition Organizations (which offer scholarships to students who attend private schools) and take a tax credit equal to the amount donated. SB 1047 doubles the credit.

Many of the Student Tuition Organizations eligible for this program are exclusively religious (such as those run by the Phoenix and Tucson dioceses as well as the Arizona Christian Tuition Organization); such STOs give scholarship money exclusively to families who wish to attend specific religious schools. Further, there are no protections under SB 1047 that ensure schools receiving money diverted from the public trust to private STOs do not discriminate against students on the basis ofreligion, sexual orientation, gender, or gender identity. What this means is that less money is available for public education--and money available for private education is inaccessible to many of Arizona's children including religious minorities, nonbelievers, and LGBT youth.

HB 2626, "Empowerment Scholarship expands Arizona's Empowerment Accounts program. This program currently allows students with disabilities to receive 90% of the state funds that would otherwise be allocated for that student's education to be applied to private school education or homeschooling. As with SB 1047, there are no provisions in this bill to ensure that the schools receiving money under this program refrain from discriminating against religious minorities, nonbelievers, LGBT students and other marginalized youth.

Additionally, because the vast majority of private schools in Arizona are religious, this bill creates direct public funding of private religious schools. The Arizona State Constitution is very clear on this issue: "No public money or property shall be appropriated for or applied to any religious worship, exercise, or instruction, or to the support of any religious establishment." (Article II Section 12).

Who should I contact?

All members of the House Committee on Ways and Means, whether they are your Representative or not. See below for contact information.

If you are registered in the ALIS system, please log in and show your opposition. If you are interested in registering on ALIS (which allows you to submit comments on public record to House and Senate committees, please call or email Secular Coalition for Arizona's Executive Director Seráh Blain: 602-363-8018; serah@secularAZ.org. You are also encouraged to call or email with any questions or concerns.

When do I need to contact my legislators by?

Immediately.

When is this bill being voted on?

This bill is scheduled to be voted on in the House of Representatives Committee on Ways and Means Monday, February 6, 2012 @ 2:00 pm.

House Committee on Ways and

Chairman: Rep. Jack Harper, jharper@azleg.gov, 602-926-4178

Vice-Chairman: Rep. Ted Vogt, tvogt@azleg.gov, 602-3235

Rep. Tom Chabin, tchabin@azleg.gov, 602-926-5160

Rep. Steve Farley, sfarley@azleg.gov, 602-926-3022

Rep. Ruben Gallego, rgallego@azleg.gov, 602-926-3042

Rep. Rick Gray, rgray@azleg.gov, 602-926-5993

Rep. Debbie Lesko, dlesko@azleg.gov, 602-926-5413

Rep. JD Mesnard, jmesnard@azleg.gov, 602-926-4481

Rep. Justin Olson, jolson@azleg.gov, 602-926-5288

Talking Points

SB 1047 and HB 2626 permit the state to divert public tax dollars from the public trust and empowers private institutions receiving those funds to discriminate against religious minorities, nonbelievers, and other marginalized youth thereby limiting these students' access to quality education.
A prosperous, productive, free future for our state requires that all of Arizona's students receive equal, comprehensive education regardless of religious belief, nonbelief, sexual orientation, or membership in any other minority demographic.
SB 1047 redirects public money from public schools to religious institutions, which may be a violation of both the state and federal Constitutions. Challenges to this tax credit program have lost in court due to standing, but not merit--so the constitutionality of the program has never been settled and is likely to be challenged again.
HB 2626 uses public money directly to fund religious education, which is clearly unconstitutional in regard to both the state and federal constitutions. Expensive lawsuits, costing taxpayer money, are sure to follow.

Executive Director Seráh Blain Speaks Out Against Privileging the Christian Bible in Public Schools

This hearing is very informative as to how our elected officials feel about church-state separation. We have a lot of work to do! Ms. Blain's testimony begins at 1:22:56.

ACTION ALERT: Oppose Christian Bias in Public Schools!

House Bill 2563, “schools; elective; biblical influence,” (being heard in committee tomorrow, January 30) will unconstitutionally preference the teaching of the Christian bible in public schools! Currently, Arizona Revised Statutes (ARS) requires school boards to exclude all books, publications, papers and audiovisual materials of a sectarian, partisan or denominational character from public schools and public school libraries. HB2563 creates an exception to the ARS specifically for teaching the Christian bible in public schools. Other religious texts continue to be excluded from schools by the ARS.

The bill also requires the State Board of Education to include the history and literature of the Christian bible in History or English Arts standards and sets up guidelines for a school district or charter school to offer an elective course on “The Bible and Its Influence on Western Culture.”

There is no question that religion has had tremendous impact on Western culture; however, allowing public schools to teach from the Christian bible and no other religious text clearly privileges the Christian religion and suppresses the voices of religious minorities and nonbelievers whose traditions have also contributed to Western culture. HB2563 violates the First Amendment of the United States Constitution by supporting and preferencing a particular religious perspective to the exclusion of all others. Further, HB2563 may violate Article II Section 12 of the Arizona State Constitution by applying public money to religious instruction.

What you can do:

Executive Director Seráh Blain Defends Nonbelievers' Right to Affirm Rather than Swear Arizona State Guard Oath

Dawkins, Faircloth, Cornwell, "A Secular Society Worth Saving: The Role of Religion & Secularism in Public Policy"

Presented by Secular Coalition for Arizona, Dr. R. Elisabeth Cornwell, Sean Faircloth and world-renowned author, bioethicist and secularist Richard Dawkins will explore how religion impacts government and how the secular community can grow its influence on legislative decisions.

When: Monday, February 6, 2012 7:00 - 8:45 p.m.

Where: Mesa Arts Center One East Main Street Mesa, AZ 85201

Admission includes: Presentations by Cornwell, Faircloth, and Dawkins, Q and A, & Book Signing

Tickets on sale NOW: All seats $10 Purchase online or by phone: www.mesaartscenter.com, 480.644.6500 (ticketing fees may apply) or at the box office: One East Main Street, Mesa, AZ 85201

Richard Dawkins, DPhil, is a world-renowned scientific intellectual, lecturer, author, and founder of the Richard Dawkins Foundation for Reason and Science. His books, which include The God Delusion and The Blind Watchmaker, draw on his experience as a leading evolutionary biologist, and have been translated into many languages. Dawkins will be available to sign his books, including the recently released: The Magic of Reality: How We Know What's Really True.

Sean Faircloth is an author, speaker, former legislator and current Director of Strategy and Policy for the Richard Dawkins Foundation for Reason and Science. Sean served five terms in the Maine legislature and has put that experience to work by spearheading initiatives designed to increase the secular voice within society and government. Faircloth will be available to sign his book, Attack of the Theocrats: How the Religious Right Harms Us All and What to Do About It.

R. Elisabeth Cornwell, PhD, is Executive Director of the U.S. branch of the Richard Dawkins Foundation for Reason and Science. Her contributions include originating and expanding the OUT Campaign, which provides a public forum for freethinkers to proclaim their atheism and to let others know they are not alone.

Sponsored by:
Secular Coalition for Arizona: www.secularaz.org
Richard Dawkins Foundation for Reason and Science:www.RichardDawkins.net
With additional funding from The Humanist Society of Greater Phoenix: www.hsgp.org

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Private Reception with RICHARD DAWKINS, SEAN FAIRCLOTH, and DR. R. ELISABETH CORNWELL

Prior to the public event join us for a very special private reception to meet and mingle with Richard Dawkins, Sean Faircloth, and Dr. Elisabeth Cornwell. Your attendance will co-benefit the Secular Coalition for Arizona and the Richard Dawkins Foundation for Reason and Science.

When: Monday, February 6, 2012 5:15pm - 6:45pm (immediately preceding the public event)

Where: Mesa Arts Center

Admission: $500 per person, $750 per couple Enjoy a light buffet and refreshments as well as complimentary VIP seating to the public event.

I am unable to attend, but would like to donate to Secular Coalition for Arizona

If you would like to be recognized as a "Friend of the Arizona Nontheistic Community" sponsoring donor please contact Matt Schoenley for details, matt@secularaz.org or 480.717.6288

1/3 of your entrance fee will benefit Secular Coalition for Arizona (SC Arizona) and 2/3 will benefit Richard Dawkins Foundation for Reason and Science (RDF). Donations to SC Arizona, a 501(c)(4) organization, are not tax deductible. Donations to the RDF, a 501(c)(3) organization, are tax deductible.

2012 Legislative Session Opens!

January 10, 2012 - Yesterday marked the opening of the 2012 Arizona State Legislative session—and Secular Coalition for Arizona was there in front of the Capitol alongside our liaised nontheistic-friendly organization, Americans United for Separation of Church and State - Greater Phoenix. It was a great opportunity for nontheistic Arizonans to be present and visible to our legislators, letting them know that we are an active, sizeable constituency! SC Arizona’s Executive Director, Seráh Blain, was able to connect with members, fellow lobbyists and constituents who were present--and will continue SC Arizona’s presence at the legislature this week as she introduces our organization and addresses legislation that erodes church-state separation. Stay tuned for updates from Seráh as the session gets underway--and make sure to "like" our Facebook page for all the latest!

Remember, SC Arizona’s presence at the Capitol and our advocacy on behalf of nontheistic Arizonans is only possible through the generous support of the nontheistic community; please consider a donation TODAY so that we can continue to be your voice to the state legislature!

Meet us at the Capitol for opening day; Flagstaff Freethinkers joins coalition

Join Secular Coalition for Arizona at the Capitol for Opening Day!

The start of the 2012 legislative season is right around the corner! Session opens this coming Monday, January 9th. Secular Coalition for Arizona will be at the Capitol with our liaised nontheistic friendly organization, Americans United for Separation of Church and State-Greater Phoenix Chapter. AU-Greater Phoenix and SC Arizona will meet at 10:30 a.m. on the 9th at the Capitol to join the "Stop the War on Women Rally," co-sponsored by Planned Parenthood Arizona. Like SC Arizona, Planned Parenthood has been under unrelenting attack by the Religious Right, which seeks to implement policy based on religious doctrine rather than reason--to the detriment of all Arizonans. SC Arizona will be working with Planned Parenthood-Arizona over the legislative season to strategize together where our interests overlap. If you would like to join SC Arizona and AU-Greater Phoenix, please rsvp to Anne Mardick at AUArizona@gmail.com, and include your t-shirt size (S-4X) to get a free AU shirt!

For questions contact Seráh Blain, Executive Director.

Welcome Flagstaff Freethinkers!

SC Arizona continues to grow! This month, we welcome the Flagstaff Freethinkers to our coalition, with Brian Wallace as liaison and Bill Kurmes as alternate. The Flagstaff Freethinkers is a community-oriented group of skeptics and nontheists that meets for social events, discussion, volunteer opportunities and family-friendly activities. The group encourages any science-minded, reason-based thinkers in the Flagstaff area to join them for fellowship and fun!

Contact Brian Wallace for more information.

SC Arizona hires first known state-level nontheistic Executive Director/lobbyist

Meet our New Executive Director!

After a busy, productive, and momentous inaugural year, Secular Coalition for Arizona (SC Arizona) is thrilled to announce that, thanks to the generous support of our liaised organizations and their members, we have been able to fully professionalize and hire a full-time Executive Director. This week, Seráh Blain took over the reins as head of SC Arizona from Matt Schoenley, who had been serving as volunteer Director and who will continue on with our organization as Chair of the Board.

“This is an exciting, historic new chapter for Secular Coalition for Arizona,” says Matt. "Seráh is the first known professional Executive Director and lobbyist of a state-level nontheistic lobby organization. This legislative season, we’ll have a dedicated and gifted full-time director lobbying and advocating for Arizona's nontheistic constituents, making sure you have a voice at the state Capitol.”

Seráh is no stranger to the nontheistic community in Arizona. She is the founder and organizer of the Prescott Freethinkers (an affiliate of the American Humanist Association), co-founder of the Flagstaff Freethinkers, and has served on the board of SC Arizona since its inception. She is also a hospice volunteer and does trainings for other volunteers and staff on nontheistic approaches to death. Seráh brings a wealth of political experience from nearly a decade of working for nonprofits supporting LGBT youth and advocating to state government on their behalf.

“After years of seeing how harmful religious intrusion into secular government can be, particularly for vulnerable minority groups like LGBT youth, I have come to understand that the best way to ensure freedom and fairness for everyone is to safeguard the wall of church-state separation,” Seráh says.

Under the leadership of a full-time, professional director, SC Arizona will be better able to respond quickly to harmful legislation proposed by the Religious Right, and to make sure legislators understand the importance of our Constitution’s guarantee of secular government. This exciting transition would not have been possible without the generous contributions of nontheists like you; please consider a gift to SC Arizona TODAY and help us continue the essential work of keeping religion out of government!

“It is a great honor to represent my fellow nontheists to our legislators, and to carry your voice to the Capitol,” says Seráh, who welcomes the opportunity to get to know all of our liaised organizations. Please do not hesitate to contact her with questions, ideas, or invitations to speak to your group: 224-558-9594; serah@secularAZ.org

Secular Coalition for Arizona professionalizes, seeks full-time Executive Director

Job Posting:

Secular Coalition for Arizona is seeking to hire a full-time Executive Director. To learn more about the Executive Director position, please see the job description here.

Interested applicants may submit a resume, cover letter and salary requirements by email to Matt Schoenley, Chair of the Board, at matt@secularAZ.org. Resumes must be received by December 20, 2011.

Schoenley, who donated his time to serve as the founding Executive Director of Secular Coalition for Arizona, will be handing over those reigns as the position becomes professionalized, but will remain as Chair of the Board.

"It has been my pleasure and honor to act as the founding Executive Director of Secular Coalition for Arizona during this important period," said Matt Schoenley. "SC Arizona made history by taking the voice of the Arizona nontheistic community to the State Capital for the first time. We actively lobbied elected politicians on issues important to Arizona's nontheists, and as a result, they now know who we are, that we are Arizonans, and that we vote. As Chair of the Board I remain enthusiasitclly committed to SC Arizona. It is with excitement for the future of secularism-the position that best guarantees liberty for all, religious and not-that the time has come to 'professionalize' our staff and hire a full-time Executive Director."