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Written by Don Byrd, these updates bring together the latest news impacting the conversation around religious freedom and the separation of church and state.

BJC urges HHS to include greater transparency and clarity in final rule concerning religious exemptions to agency grant requirements

BJC urges HHS to include greater transparency and clarity in final rule concerning religious exemptions to agency grant requirements

Religious liberty advocates, including BJC, are asking the Department of Health and Human Services to go further in articulating all exemption requirements needed to comply with federal religious freedom law.
Federal court declines to require Maryland school district to allow parental opt-out from language arts reading curriculum that includes LGBTQ+ characters

Federal court declines to require Maryland school district to allow parental opt-out from language arts reading curriculum that includes LGBTQ+ characters

A lawsuit brought by a group of Muslim and Christian plaintiffs appears headed to a federal appeals court, and it bears watching. The families wanted to opt their children out of reading books with LGBTQ+ characters because the books conflict with their religious beliefs.
Texas chaplains caution state’s school boards against creating chaplain programs in public schools

Texas chaplains caution state’s school boards against creating chaplain programs in public schools

A coalition of Texas chaplains say that training for the chaplaincy counsels against providing such support for school-aged children.
Federal appeals court upholds Connecticut’s removal of religious exemption from vaccination requirement for schoolchildren

Federal appeals court upholds Connecticut’s removal of religious exemption from vaccination requirement for schoolchildren

The 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals rejected a challenge to a recent Connecticut law removing religious exemptions from the state’s vaccination mandate for schoolchildren.
Appeals court vacates earlier decision upholding school district’s pronoun policy, sends back to trial court in light of Supreme Court’s recent Title VII ruling

Appeals court vacates earlier decision upholding school district’s pronoun policy, sends back to trial court in light of Supreme Court’s recent Title VII ruling

The Court clarified that the standard an employer must meet for establishing an “undue hardship” is not the “de minimis cost” test used by courts for many years – including by the 7th Circuit in Kluge – but is instead whether a religious accommodation would “result in substantial increased costs in relation to the conduct of its particular business.”
Guam joins Oklahoma in approving government-funded religious charter schools after legislature overrides governor’s veto

Guam joins Oklahoma in approving government-funded religious charter schools after legislature overrides governor’s veto

The question of whether the First Amendment allows for publicly funded religious charter schools may make its way to the Supreme Court before long.
EEOC Report: COVID-19 vaccine-related employment disputes fuel surge of religious discrimination claims

EEOC Report: COVID-19 vaccine-related employment disputes fuel surge of religious discrimination claims

The EEOC report suggests in a footnote that a “significant increase in vaccine-related charges filed on the basis of religion” is responsible for the spike in religion cases generally.
Federal judge rejects teacher’s request on religious freedom grounds to halt policy requiring teachers to use students’ preferred name and pronouns

Federal judge rejects teacher’s request on religious freedom grounds to halt policy requiring teachers to use students’ preferred name and pronouns

In rejecting the request for a preliminary injunction, the court emphasized that the policy impacts the teacher's speech only in her official capacity as public school employee, not her private expression.
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