Pm defends govts public school commitment
The state school board is committed to serving its students according to faith and will continue to do so, state Education Secretary George P. Pappas said Monday.
Pappas spoke at a community forum about public schools in downtown Providence at which members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Faith, and Freedom, said Pappas has long been a friend of their church.
The conference featured two hours of discussion featuring church members and state officials.
There’s no question the state has become less tolerant of religious freedom.
Some state lawmakers have also raised concerns about religious freedom issues with schools under Pappas, according to a reporter for the Associated Press. The Rhode Island Journal, however, has been unable to confirm the reports on its website.
The state school board appointed by governor Lincoln Chafee voted unanimously Monday to end religious exemptions from serving on school boards or in elected positions at public universities.
The board’s move comes after a series of controversies over school prayer that have divided public and private schools.
The school board was elected in 2011 with no student votes, the lowest percentage ever at a public마사지 오일 school board in Rhode Island. During the 2011-12 school year, only two public schools received more than one vote in the election.
A group of lawmakers has also been pressing for the State Legislature to pass a new law requiring that all elected school board members serve five years in office, as they do now, and that all of the state’s public education agencies, including most of the public schools, be funded by a property tax.
“It is only the beginning,” Pappas said Monday.
Pappas said the state would hold open houses for community members and staff when possible, but would wait until after the November election season to make changes to law. The board is considering making a specific exception for religious groups that want to serve on schools boards or in local elected officials.
Pappas said he didn’t think he would have made the changes the state did without the support of the state’s Republican legislature and governor, b전주출장마사지ut said he was loo카지노 사이트king at all options, including whether to hold a recall election if the Republican-controlled legislature doesn’t take action next year.
Pappas has made it clear that he doesn’t view his appointment of a board with no student votes as a threat to his political career.
“My job is to make sure that we have a system for serving our children