Crisp County recently joined the ranks of hundreds of other communities around the nation offering a course in religious instruction to students who are in public school. The Crisp County Center for Christian Learning, or C4 as it is commonly known, is a local organization of community leaders who desire to provide parents with an expanded educational option for their students in the public school.

Parents want the best for their children. They want them to have opportunities to learn and have a well rounded education. This is a universal desire that applies to demographic groups across the board.

In 1962 a New York state law included the text of a prayer for public schools. New York public schools were to begin each day with the prayer along with the Pledge of Allegiance. The United States Supreme Court, in Engel v. Vitale, ruled that the prayer was an unconstitutional violation of the 1st Amendment prohibiting government from establishing a religion.

For the vast majority, the public school system is the primary educational provider. Religion is one area where public schools are restricted.

That ruling led to more rulings which included prohibiting a one minute period of silent reflection, prayer at graduations, and prayer before events such as football games. School administrators often established even more restrictive policies in a precautionary mode to avoid litigation.

The 1962 decision addressed the first clause of the 1st Amendment that prohibited the government from establishing religion. It did not address the 2nd half of the clause, “or prohibiting the free exercise thereof.”

The Supreme Court ruled on the free exercise clause ten years earlier in the 1952 case, Zorach v. Clauson. In that case the state of New York offered a program of “Released Time Education.”

Released time allows parents to voluntarily enroll their children in a religious education program conducted off the school grounds. The public school does not pay for the facility, material, or faculty and the program is completely voluntary.

Justice William O. Douglas, in the majority opinion wrote, “We are a religious people whose institutions presuppose a Supreme Being. We guarantee the freedom to worship as one chooses.”

He went on to say that the Released Time program, “follows the best of our traditions. For it then respects the religious nature of our people and accommodates the public service to their spiritual needs. To hold that it may not would be to find in the Constitution a requirement that the government show a callous indifference to religious groups. That would be preferring those who believe in no religion over those who do believe.”

The case established three basic requirements for released time: (1) The classes had to be off the school grounds, (2) The classes had to be voluntary, and (3) no public funds could be used to support the classes.

There are no fees required to take the classes. This is a positive option. The families of Crisp County along with school administration welcomed the idea with open arms.

I first witnessed this concept in Wilcox County. Last October, I wrote a commentary entitled, “The Solution,” about one of their community events.

In Crisp County we began last January when a group of interested citizens formed the founding Board of nine members. I was asked to serve as Chairman of the Board.

The community response has been positive in every corner. Pinecrest Baptist Church offered the use of their facilities for classroom space and their vehicles for transportation. Volunteers signed up to help with scheduling volunteers to drive.

We recruited qualified teachers. Individuals and churches are donating financially to support this faith-based initiative.

The classes meet during the elective periods. We send a van to pick the children up at school after home room, transport them to the off-campus classroom, and return them to school for their next class.

Our teacher provides attendance and grades to the Middle School. The time counts toward attendance requirements as it is part of their learning experience.

Our inaugural class of 8th graders will complete the 9 week course on October 3. We already have 35 students who want to take the class in the next nine weeks.

We are asked if it will be available for high school. Our answer is that we intend to expand the program as long as the funds are available to support it.

Funding does not come from a government program. Funding comes from churches, individuals, businesses, and others who agree that this is an important investment for the community.

I see something else in this initiative in our community. It brings the community together for a positive and edifying purpose.

Over the next year, our nation is going to be bombarded with political ads and messages of division and discord. These go beyond differences in policy and political philosophy. Many of these messages will sow the seeds of class envy, victimization, fear, and prejudice.

C4 is one of many endeavors taking place across Crisp county to work together for a stronger, uplifting, vibrant, community. It is a worthy investment.

If you want to know how you can help, send me an e-mail: don@doncole.com or give me a call at 229-291-7114 and I’ll tell you more.

The Philosophy of Crisp County Center
for Christian Learning (C4)

The Crisp County Center for Christian Learning exists to provide Biblical based instruction in the areas of character, leadership, and personal discipline to the students of the Crisp County Public Schools.

We believe that students should be and can be an example to others in speech, in life, in love, in faith, and in purity, and to that end, offer instruction in such Christian concepts as honoring parents, respecting authority, purity before marriage, developing trust in friendships, living a life of integrity, all while teaching leadership using biblical doctrine, examples and role models.

It is the desire of the Crisp County Center for Christian Learning that each Student be given the education in character studies, historical context, and moral reasoning using the Bible and Christian doctrine as the foundation to ensure that each student is instructed in a way that their uniqueness is embraced, and their success is promoted, with the understanding that they are valued as a Creation of God.

by