Colorado Senate Committee Rejects Proposal For Religious Bill of Rights In Schools

The Colorado Independent reports that on Monday, a committee of the Colorado State Senate defeated by a vote of 4-3 the controversial proposed "Religious Bill of Rights for Individuals Connected to Public Schools Act" (SB 10-089). The bill would have required the state board of education to prepare and distribute documents setting out rights of students, parents, teachers and employees to engage in various types of religious expression in the schools. It would also have allowed teachers to refuse to teach topics that violate their religious beliefs. The committee also rejected a watered-down version that would have merely called on the state attorney general to develop answers on religious questions that arise in schools. Opponents of the bill said that schools can already consult the attorney general on these issues.