Public schools are supposedly neutral spaces. However, recent events show how wrong that idea can be.
In Washington state, a school district is facing a federal lawsuit after allegedly requiring elementary students to place their Bibles in sealed envelopes when they return from off-site religious classes. These classes are parent-approved, privately funded, and held during times when students have no other instruction.
Regardless of how the case is resolved, it points to a deeper reality. Public schools are not neutral, and they never have been.
Every decision a school makes sends a message. Curriculum choices, library policies, symbols, and rules all reflect values. In a system where attendance is mandatory, families try but often cannot opt out of those decisions. When disagreements arise, one set of beliefs is enforced and another is pushed aside.
During my time as a public school principal, I saw how often schools were pulled into conflicts that had little to do with academics and everything to do with values. Schools were expected to referee cultural disputes they were never designed to resolve. Neutrality was often claimed, but it was impossible to practice.
History makes this pattern unmistakable. Early public schools in America openly reflected Protestant beliefs, including daily prayer and Bible reading as part of the school day. This approach aligned with the values of the cultural majority at the time, but Catholic families objected and created their own schools to preserve their beliefs.
When those families sought access to public funding, lawmakers responded by trying to block it.
In the late 1800s, Senator James Blaine proposed a constitutional amendment to prohibit public funds from going to religious schools. Although the federal amendment narrowly failed, many states adopted similar language in their constitutions. These provisions, known as Blaine Amendments, were explicitly designed to exclude Catholic schools. Utah is one of 37 states that still contains one.
Over time, those same provisions have been repurposed to restrict nearly all religious participation in publicly funded education. While the US Supreme Court has made many decisions reducing the scope of Blaine Amendments, they continue to be used to attack school choice policies.
This simple truth persists: public schools reflect the values of those with political power, while dissenting families are told to accept the outcome.
That pattern has repeated for the past century. Americans have fought over evolution, segregation, forced busing, standardized testing, and federal curriculum standards. Today, the conflicts center on gender ideology, library content, and religious expression. The issues evolve. The structure remains the same.
The solution is not to dismantle public schools or attack those who work within them. The solution is to stop pretending one system can serve every family equally.
School choice offers a more honest path forward. When families can choose from district schools, charter schools, private schools, and microschools, disagreements no longer have to be settled through political fights. Parents can seek out schools that align with their values without forcing those choices on others.
Utah has taken an important step with the Utah Fits All Scholarship. The legislature has a chance to grow this program. Expanding funding and flexibility would give families more freedom and continue to reduce conflict.
Public schools are not neutral. Recognizing that truth allows education that fits everyone.
