Workplace of Public Affairs | Religious Liberty Commission Hosts Second Hearing on Religious Liberty in Public Education

WASHINGTON – Yesterday, the Religious Liberty Commission hosted President Trump, Attorney General Bondi, dad and mom, and college students to debate spiritual liberty points in public training. The listening to included a number of panels of scholars who shared tales of challenges to their spiritual liberty, and fogeys whose proper to direct the spiritual upbringing of their youngsters was challenged or abridged within the faculty system. The listening to’s goal was to know the historic panorama of spiritual liberty within the public training setting, determine current threats to spiritual liberty in America’s public faculty methods, and determine alternatives to safe spiritual liberty on this context for the long run.

“Under the Trump Administration, we’re defending our rights and restoring our identity as a nation under God,” mentioned President Donald J. Trump. “We are one nation underneath God, and we all the time shall be.”

“Our Founders believed each particular person has the fitting to worship freely—with out concern, with out censorship, and with out hostility from their very own authorities,” said Attorney General Pamela Bondi.” Under President Trump’s management, this Department of Justice has returned to its core goal: defending the Constitution and defending the God-given rights of each single American.”

“Today was a particular second in historical past as President Trump spoke on the Presidential Commission on Religious Liberty,” said RLC Chair Dan Patrick, Lt. Governor of Texas. “No President since our nation’s basis has put religion and freedom on the forefront of his complete agenda. President Trump’s emphasis on spiritual liberty will restore our nation, as soon as once more, to ship a transparent message to the world that we’re a nation that was based on the phrase of God. Thank you, Mr. President.” 

President Donald J. Trump delivers remarks on the Religious Liberty Commission listening to.

Chairman Dan Patrick, Lt. Governor of Texas, Attorney General Bondi, President Donald J. Trump, and HUD Secretary Scott Turner on the Religious Liberty Commission listening to

The witnesses included:

Shea Encinas: Former Student at La Costa Heights Elementary School in Carlsbad, California

Shea was focused and harassed by faculty administration and classmates after objecting to learn a e-book glorifying transgenderism to a kindergarten scholar.

Lydia Booth: Simpson County School District scholar

Lydia was prohibited from sporting a “Jesus loves me” face masks through the COVID-19 pandemic, regardless of nothing within the gown code banning spiritual clothes. Lydia’s household efficiently sued permitting Lydia to as soon as once more put on her masks.

Justin Aguilar: High SchoolValedictorian from North Carolina

A college administrator struck by means of a lot of cases of the phrase “God” and “Jesus Christ” in Justin’s valedictorian speech, regardless of the language being protected by the United States Constitution. Justin respectfully and efficiently appealed to ship the speech unchanged.

Valerie Cleveringa: Former scholar at West Ward Elementary School in Allegan, Michigan

Valerie was prohibited from singing a non secular tune, “That’s Who I Praise,” by fashionable Christian artist Brandon Lake, within the faculty expertise present. After public outcry, the varsity reversed course and allowed Valerie to carry out the tune.

Hannah Allen: Honey Grove School District scholar

Hannah and a bunch of classmates determined to wish throughout lunch for a former classmate lately in a automobile accident. Their principal instructed the group “Y’all don’t do that again,” and mentioned they may solely pray on the stage backstage, outdoors of the varsity constructing, within the fitness center with nobody current. After being knowledgeable of the scholars’ constitutional rights, the varsity corrected the coverage to permit college students to wish publicly.

Jeremy Dys: Senior Counsel for First Liberty

Dys earned his regulation diploma from West Virginia University College of Law in 2005. After regulation faculty, Dys clerked for the Hon. Russell M. Clawges, Jr., chief choose of the Circuit Court of Monongalia County in Morgantown, West Virginia. For six years previous to becoming a member of First Liberty Institute, Dys led a public coverage group the place he led analysis and advocacy efforts on issues of life, marriage, and non secular freedom.

Lana Roman: Maryland Parent combating the Montgomery County Board of Education 

Lana and different dad and mom in Maryland are combating again towards the Montgomery County Board of Education for forcing pre-Ok and elementary-aged youngsters to learn controversial books selling transgender and sexually-focused content material. On June 27, 2025, the Supreme Court dominated 6-3 that oldsters have the fitting to choose their youngsters out of books that push one-sided views on gender identification and sexuality that violate spiritual beliefs.

Jennifer Mead: Mother of kid who was secretly transitioned

Dan and Jennifer Mead sued the Rockford Public School District in Michigan after district workers started treating the couple’s middle-school daughter as a boy with out their data or consent.

Jenny Encinas: Mother of Shea Encinas

Shea’s household is suing to carry accountability and search a courtroom order stating that the varsity district should notify dad and mom upfront and permit opt-outs from teachings that violate spiritual and ethical beliefs.

Sameerah Munshi: RLC Advisory Board Member

Sameerah has courageously spoken out towards forcing youngsters to be taught radical gender ideology in colleges. She testified earlier than the Montgomery County School Board and has labored with the Coalition of Virtue and the Religious Freedom Institute.

Alyza Lewin: RLC Advisory Board Member

Alyza Lewin is the President of The Louis D. Brandeis Center for Human Rights Under Law. Lewin can be a co-founder and companion in Lewin & Lewin, LLP the place she makes a speciality of litigation, mediation and authorities relations. Her expertise contains felony protection, civil litigation and anti-discrimination issues. Lewin served as President of the American Association of Jewish Lawyers and Jurists from 2012 – 2017.

David Cortman: Senior Counsel and Vice President of U.S. litigation for Alliance Defending Freedom

David A. Cortman serves as senior counsel and vice chairman of U.S. litigation with Alliance Defending Freedom. He has been training regulation for practically 30 years and presently supervises attorneys and authorized employees who concentrate on constitutional regulation, specializing in spiritual freedom, free speech, and the sanctity of life.

Maggie DeJong: Former Graduate scholar at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville (SIUE)

Maggie was silenced with no-contact orders from SIUE after college students complained that her speech, together with social media posts, messages to college students, and sophistication discussions on an array of subjects was thought-about “harmful.” Maggie sued, and SIUE officers revised insurance policies and the scholar handbook to make sure college students with various ideological and non secular views are welcome on campus.

Norvilia Etienne Cain: Pro-life advocate

As a scholar, Norvilia requested to create a Students for Life Group at Queens College in New York. The faculty denied the request with out rationalization. The college students sued, and Queens College formally acknowledged the group, but it surely took nearly one 12 months to replace its coverage to guard different college students from the identical kind of discrimination.

Chike Uzuegbunam: Former scholar at Georgia Gwinett College

While peacefully sharing his Christian views with college students on campus, school officers stopped Chike on two events, stating he wanted permission upfront to make use of sure “speech zones” that had been small and never open frequently. Chike adopted the varsity’s coverage, and was nonetheless stopped from talking. Chike challenged the varsity’s coverage all the way in which as much as the Supreme Court, which in the end dominated in his favor.

Kimberlee Colby: Attorney, Christian Legal Society’s Center for Law and Religious Freedom

Kim Colby has labored for Christian Legal Society’s Center for Law and Religious Freedom since graduating from Harvard Law School in 1981. She has represented spiritual teams in a number of appellate circumstances, together with two circumstances heard by the United States Supreme Court. She has filed quite a few amicus briefs in federal and state courts. In 1984, she assisted in congressional passage of the Equal Access Act, 20 U.S.C. § 4071, et seq., which protects the fitting of secondary faculty college students to satisfy for prayer and Bible research on campus. Ms. Colby has ready a number of CLS publications addressing points about spiritual expression in public colleges, together with launched time applications, implementation of the Equal Access Act, and academics’ spiritual expression.

Watch the listening to HERE

Attorney General Bondi delivers remarks on the Religious Liberty Commission listening to

Chairman Dan Patrick and Vice Chair Dr. Ben Carson at Religious Liberty Commission listening to.

The Religious Liberty Commission was established by President Trump underneath Executive Order 14291 and is tasked with producing a complete report on the foundations of spiritual liberty in America, rising consciousness of and celebrating America’s peaceable spiritual pluralism, highlighting present threats to spiritual liberty, and creating methods to protect and improve protections for future generations.