Public Schoolteachers' Attitudes about Religious Liberty in the Classroom. Issue 1 (2nd January 2020)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Olson, Laura R.; Bindewald, Benjamin J.; McCorkle, William D.; Rosenblith, Suzanne N.
• Is Part Of: Religion & education. Volume 47:Issue 1(2020)
• Page Start: 19
• Page End: 54
• Publication Date: 2020-01-02
• Subjects: Public schoolteachers -- religious freedom -- religious liberty -- religious accommodation -- religious free exercise; Religion in the public schools -- United States -- Periodicals; Church and education -- United States -- Periodicals; Church and education; Religion in the public schools; United States; Electronic journals; Periodicals; 379.28
• DOI: 10.1080/15507394.2019.1668246
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 1550-7394

Abstract

Abstract: As agents of the state rather than private individuals while working, U.S. public schoolteachers' 'free exercise rights' are sharply curtailed to prevent them from (dis)favoring any one religion. Are there public schoolteachers who chafe against these constraints, wishing instead for religious accommodations that would grant them the flexibility to refuse to teach required curricular content, or engage in some other form of religious expression or activity in the classroom? If so, who are these teachers, demographically, professionally, religiously, and politically speaking? To answer these questions, we analyze data from an original national email survey of 5, 273 U.S. public schoolteachers.