Democracy for NYC Position on Using Public Schools for Religious Services

The board of directors of Democracy for NYC stands with the New York Civil Liberties Union in opposition to current legislation being considered in Albany that would allow public schools to be used as places of worship.  

The bills being considered stipulate that the use of school buildings and school sites for religious meetings and worship shall be allowed when not in use for school purposes or when such service or worship is deemed not disruptive of normal school operations.

DFNYC strongly agrees with the recent Appeals Court decision which found that when worship services are performed in public schools and facilities, it constitutes an unreasonable violation of the separation of church and state and is a threat to our democracy. In addition, as the NYCLU points out, when these facilities are only available on Sundays, and the city provides discounted rental rates to those who worship on Sundays, the effect is to be discriminatory.

We encourage everyone who agrees to sign the petition at nyclu.org and to contact your representatives to express strong opposition to this legislation (known as State Assembly Bill A8800, sponsored by Assemblyman Nelson Castro and State Senate Bill 6087A, sponsored by Senator Martin Golden).  We would also encourage contacting Governor Cuomo's office to urge a veto of this bill should it come to his desk.

Our public schools should not be used as places of worship.