The Freedom From Religion Foundation is strongly criticizing an inappropriate and exclusionary letter that Florida’s education commissioner has recently dispatched statewide.
On July 14, Commissioner of Education Anastasios Kamoutsas sent a message to parents across the state, ostensibly about parental rights and Florida’s efforts to prevent indoctrination in schools. But the letter itself promotes a very specific religious ideology, declaring that “God created” students and ending with “God bless.” This religious language assumes that all parents and students in Florida believe in a god and subscribe to creationism.
“This is the exact sort of religious favoritism our Constitution forbids,” says Annie Laurie Gaylor, FFRF co-president. “Florida’s education officials can’t talk out of both sides of their mouths — claiming to protect parental rights while telling millions of families what god their children were supposedly created by.”
On July 16, Kamoutsas delivered his first speech to the State Board of Education, where he reinforced his divisive messaging by quoting the bible and promising to work with law enforcement to ensure students aren’t being “indoctrinated.” He stated, “The Book of Psalms says the children are a gift from the Lord. They are a reward from him.”
FFRF sent a formal letter to Kamoutsas on Monday, calling on the Department of Education to rescind its July 14 missive and to commit to avoiding religious references and messaging.
FFRF’s letter points out that the U.S. Supreme Court has repeatedly affirmed public schools may not favor religion over nonreligion or promote specific religious views, particularly when they conflict with the private beliefs of families. As FFRF notes, several Florida parents reached out to the state/church watchdog expressing concern over the message coming from the Department of Education.
One parent, describing themselves as agnostic or atheist, said, “This document is obviously referring to the Christian God. As such, it is offensive to both anyone with another religion, and myself. My household is raised to be free to choose whatever religion my children want. … I do not want them exposed to this kind of language.” Another parent added, “The state should be separate from religion. Ending your email with ‘God bless’ proves that the education commissioner is biased.”
FFRF Co-Presidents Dan Barker and Annie Laurie Gaylor remind Commissioner Kamoutsas in the letter that “all students have the right to be free from religious indoctrination in their public schools and that parents, not the government, have the right to determine which faith, if any, they teach their children to believe in.”
Florida’s public schools serve families of all backgrounds — religious and nonreligious alike. Nearly a third of Americans today, and almost half of Gen Z members, identify as nonreligious. When the state sends out blanket messages assuming belief in a god, it sends a harmful message that these families don’t belong.
FFRF is urging the Florida Department of Education to revoke the July 14 letter and ensure that all further communications are free from religious bias. “In future, the department must refrain from using religious language or making assumptions about the religious beliefs of Florida’s parents and children,” Barker and Gaylor conclude the letter.
The Freedom From Religion Foundation is a national nonprofit organization with over 42,000 members and several chapters nationwide, including more than 2,000 members and a chapter in Florida. FFRF’s purposes are to protect the constitutional principle of separation between church and state, and to educate the public on matters relating to nontheism.
