Religion in Public Schools and Changes Affecting Charter Schools
California charter schools have likely heard national news about recent U.S. Supreme Court decisions regarding separation of church and state and individuals’ rights to free exercise of religion in public schools. Charters may also be hearing about the concept of religious charter schools, which are plainly prohibited in California. If you wonder how all of this impacts your California charter school, now and looking ahead into the future, this session is for you.
Join us for a thoughtful discussion on how California state law regulates religion in public schools, how federal law is changing, and how that affects public schools in California that must balance state and federal law. We will discuss the 2023 directives from the California Governor, Attorney General, and State Superintendent of Public Instruction on these topics and related issues of book bans and free speech.
The presenters will also cover questions about religion that schools regularly face, including forming a religious club on campus, decorating classrooms for religious holidays, individual rights regarding prayer at school, religious curriculum, use of church facilities and attendant religious symbols in schools, religious songs or other performances, college visits for students to religious universities, and more.
We’ll also open the floor to hear questions or feedback about the challenges you face, while highlighting some policies and practices schools are implementing to best follow legal guidance on this increasingly challenging topic.
Presented by
Greta Proctor
Partner
Procopio
Greta Proctor is the leader of Procopio’s Education practice. Greta advises on a wide range of operational, governance, and ever-changing regulatory issues for classroom and non-classroom based charter schools. Greta has worked extensively on charter renewals, including appeals. She also counsels schools through special proceedings ranging from OCR complaints to FCMAT extraordinary audits. Greta provides frequent trainings on topics such as teacher credentialing, Board governance, the Brown Act, Public Records Act, avoiding conflicts of interest under the Political Reform Act and Government Code section 1090, and new legislation impacting her clients.
Kevin Davis
Senior Associate
Procopio, Cory, Hargreaves & Savitch, LLP
I help charter schools build and restructure their organizations, navigate complex compliance regulations, and negotiate for private and Prop. 39 facilities.