Week of September 8, 1996

by F.R. Duplantier

The federal government doesn't run the churches in America. Why should it run the schools?

"In America, we don't use the government to run the churches; and, considering our diversity, we have admirable religious harmony," observes Marshall Fritz in the July issue of The Freeman. Fritz believes that "this 'hands-off" policy is America's greatest gift to the human race." He recommends that the policy be extended to the field of education, as well, calling for "the separation of school and state."

A former Christian school principal, Fritz is the founder of the Separation of School and State Alliance, which advocates the dismantling of the public school system in America. "People have long pondered why parent-funded private schools seem to work fairly well . . . and tax-funded public schools seem to be going downhill at an increasing speed," Fritz remarks. "In fact, public-school educators are scrambling to imitate the non-essential features of private schools. Some call for uniforms, some want 'values' programs, all clamor for fewer layers of administration in their hopes to reverse their downward plunge. The stampede has gone so far that even union leaders are calling for . . . 'more choice and market dynamics.'" They just don't get it, says Fritz. "In their call for 'market dynamics,' union leaders miss the real secret of success of parent-funded schools: parental responsibility."

This, Fritz declares, is "the key difference between tax-funded and parent-funded schools. Parent-funded schools have a high percentage of parents who are fully exercising their parental rights in education, and tax-funded schools have few such parents." Fritz explains that "parents who directly provide for their children's education sacrifice. That act both reflects and influences their attitude about their children's education. In contrast, paying taxes . . . is neither investment nor sacrifice. One is not deferring gratification, but merely avoiding pain. Coercion is central to the financing of tax-funded schools," Fritz contends, "whereas deferred gratification, usually based on hope and love, is the financing source of parent-funded schools."

Fritz argues that government, as "the great enabler of irresponsibility and dependence," has created "an epidemic of parental irresponsibility." Nor will parents learn to be responsible again until they are forced to "pay the price of irresponsibility." Fritz argues that parent-funded schools succeed because they "have love as part of their culture; it starts with their financing. Tax-funded schools have coercion as part of their culture; it also starts with their financing. In education, like so much of life, love works. Coercion doesn't."

While recognizing that "our forebears had the wisdom and courage to end government-compelled church funding, attendance, and practice," Marshall Fritz says we should go them one step better and prohibit government from "compelling school funding, attendance, and curriculum. Only with the separation of school and state," says Fritz, "can we re-establish parental responsibility, protect parents' rights, and enable schools, teachers, and students to flourish in an environment of educational freedom."

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