Resolution supporting religious expression in public schools clears final House panel after pushback

A measure seeking to enshrine religious protections in schools has cleared its second and final committee stop, with just one lawmaker voting against it.

Rep. Chase Tramont’s resolution protecting religious expression in public schools (HJR 583) cleared the Education and Employment Committee on an 18-1 vote, with only Democratic Rep. Rita Harris voting against it.

Harris made clear her vote against the measure wasn’t because she opposes freedom of religious expression — she referred to herself as a deeply faithful person — but because she felt the provisions were already in statute and she feared the language could carry unintended consequences of making members of minority religions feel less welcomed.

The measure cleared its first committee last week, and is now teed up for a full House vote.

“Our students’ freedom of religion doesn’t end when they walk into school in the morning,” Tramont said after the vote. “Florida is a state built on responsible freedom. Ensuring there are protections for a student’s faith in school falls on the Legislature to supplement. School is where they spend the lion’s share of their time, where they learn and become inspired, and there should be no room for fear.”

The measure calls for a constitutional amendment that would add religious expression protections in public schools to the state constitution, shielding students from being penalized on assignments or other coursework based on expressing a religious viewpoint, including in artwork produced in school.

The measure, if put on the ballot and approved by 60% of voters, would also allow students to form religious clubs on campus.

It would prohibit discrimination based on religious viewpoints among students, parents, school faculty and staff, treating religious expression the same under the law as secular viewpoints.

The amendment would also forbid School Districts from limiting prayer and other religious activities before, during or after the school day, and it would permit school staff to participate as long as participation was voluntary and student-initiated.

The measure would also require at least two minutes at the beginning of the school day for a moment of silence and mandate that schools in sports championships allow prayers to be broadcast over the public address system if requested, as well as allow student- or staff-led prayer.

The proposed language does not endorse any particular religion. But critics fear it would, by default, favor the dominant religion of Christianity and possibly make people of other faiths — or no faith at all — feel unwelcome, unsafe or unrecognized in public school settings.

Russell Meyer, Executive Director for the Florida Council of Churches, offered a passionate plea to lawmakers to vote against the measure. He argued that, if enacted, it could lead students to insert religious opinion rather than fact-based science into school projects and assignments.

He also lamented that some students may feel compelled to join a club despite holding opposing viewpoints in order to appease a teacher or coach.

“That’s not an educational item, that’s coercion,” he said, adding that “true religion cannot be coerced.”

Other critics argued the measure is unnecessary. State statute — and, to some degree, the U.S. Constitution — already offer religious freedom protections, and students already can form religious- or prayer-based clubs with an adult sponsor. Many schools have clubs that host prayer circles around campus flag poles, for example.

But supporters pushed back, including Tramont, whose closing remarks sounded at times more like a sermon than diplomatic debate.

“Given the opportunity, there are some people who would take any moment that they can have to remove and get rid of the statutes that are currently protecting religious expression,” Tramont said, adding that’s why the amendment is necessary.

“People love to say that Christianity is not under attack,” he added, lamenting that critics of the measure repeatedly framed the Christian faith as the dominant religion.

“It’s the activists who want to remove all references to God under the guise of protecting children,” he said.

And while several of the measure’s supporters reminded that it would protect people of all faiths, as well as atheists, Christianity was the most commonly discussed faith during debate.

Republican Rep. Kiyan Michael said she remembers when prayer in school was a regular occurrence.

“We did not have school shootings back then we prayed in schools,” she said, adding that at that time “fathers were still in the home.”

“Godlessness is directly tied to lawlessness,” Michael added.

Rep. Jervonte Edmonds, a Democrat, said he was disappointed in some of the comments from critics.

“This bill does not force religion into schools. It does not elevate one faith. It does not encourage teachers to preach. Now more than ever in America and Florida, we need faith, we need God in our schools,” he said.

And he wasn’t the only Democrat to support the measure. Democratic Reps. Wallace Aristide, Lisa Dunkley and Yvonne Hinson also voted in favor.

While the legislation is swiftly moving through the House and appears poised to pass with at least some bipartisan support, an identical Senate measure (SJR 1104) has not yet been heard in any committee since being filed Jan. 5.