For Immediate Release Contact: Merrill Miller, 202-238-9088 ext. 105, merrillmiller@americanhumanist.org (Tallahassee, FL, Aug. 25, 2016)—The American Humanist Association urges the Leon County School District in Tallahassee, Florida, to continue providing elementary students with forms allowing them to opt out of participating in the Pledge of Allegiance, rather than withdrawing them in response to complaints by conservative commentators. In a letter sent to Leon County School District Superintendent Jackie Pons, the American Humanist Association commended the school district for educating students and parents about students’ constitutional right to not participate in the Pledge exercise. T
For Immediate Release Contact: Monica Miller, 202-238-9088 ext. 120, mmiller@americanhumanist.org David Niose, legal director, 202-238-9088 ext. 119, dniose@americanhumanist.org (Roselle Park, NJ, Aug. 19, 2016)—The American Humanist Association’s Appignani Humanist Legal Center condemns the council members of Roselle Park, New Jersey, for voting to keep an unconstitutional Christian veterans display in front of the public library. “By voting in favor of this religious display and ignoring the objections of local residents, the Borough of Roselle Park and the mayor are making litigation inevitable,” said Monica Miller, senior counsel of the Appignani Humanist Legal Center. “The Christian sym
This post originally appeared on TheHumanist.com Public schools are supposed to teach kids to think critically, right? Students should be learning to apply rational analysis, assessing evidence, and reaching logical conclusions with the knowledge they’ve accumulated and the intellectual skills they’ve developed. Isn’t that what education is all about? Unfortunately, one of the ironies of life for many young Americans is that their public schools do just the opposite. Conformity and obedience are often the top priorities, while any questioning of authority is discouraged and a herd mentality predominates. Even worse, in many public schools across the country, a highly religious atmosphere is
