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DeVos an Enemy of LGBT? Education Fight Brewing over Vouchers for Religious Schools

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WASHINGTON – The Trump administration's point person on schools stood her ground, refusing to say whether the Department of Education would intervene and withhold funds from private schools that discriminate.

During her first congressional hearing since being confirmed, Education Secretary Betsy DeVos defended the White House's 2018 education budget, which aims to expand school choice.

DeVos was asked about the admission requirements for Lighthouse Christian Academy in Bloomington, Indiana.

Its policy explicitly states the non-denominational school's right to refuse admission to any student who lives in a home that includes "homosexual or bisexual activity or any form of sexual immorality."

"This is about use of federal dollars. Would you say to Indiana that school cannot discriminate against LGBT students if you want to receive federal dollars – or would you say the state has the flexibility in this situation?" Rep. Katherine Clark, D-Mass, challenged DeVos at Wednesday's appropriations subcommittee hearing.

"I believe states continue to have flexibility in putting together programs," the education secretary answered before being interrupted.

"I am shocked you cannot come up with one example of discrimination that you would stand up for students," Clark later replied.

After the exchange, some media outlets labeled DeVos an "enemy of LGBTQ people."

However, the school's policy also prohibits admission based on "heterosexual activity outside of one-man-one-woman marriage," explicitly banning "premarital sex, cohabitation, or adultery."

Lighthouse Christian Academy responded with a statement published in Bloomington's The Herald-Times:

"Parents are free to choose which school best comports with their religious convictions. For a real choice and thus real liberty to exist, the government may not impose its own orthodoxy and homogenize all schools to conform to politically correct attitudes and ideologies."

The president's 2018 education budget expands school choice with a proposed $250 million increase for a voucher program funding scholarships for families to send their children to private schools, while slashing 13.5 percent from overall education funding. That's nearly $10 billion in cuts, targeting before and after-school programs along with training for teachers and reducing class sizes.

The proposed budget cuts have been met with resistance from parents groups, educators, and even some skeptical Republicans on Capitol Hill.

During a recent interview with CBN News, veteran educator Z. Vance Wilson weighed in on the debate to reform education. Watch the full interview above.

"I think the public schools need tax money and support, and the teachers there need great support," he said.

The proposed $250 million in grants for Education Innovation and Research (EIR) would potentially benefit schools like St. Albans in Washington, D.C., where Wilson serves as headmaster.

"Most of the education in the United States is public education," Wilson explained. "And a school like ours can't justify itself unless it has a mission. In our case it's a religious mission."

St. Albans School is a prestigious Episcopal school for boys whose alumni include Fox News' Brit Hume and other luminaries in arts and entertainment, professional athletes, and politicians like Al Gore and former U.S. Senator John Warner of Virginia.

"I think that elevating education in the priorities of this country is really important," Wilson said. "The more people that understand the better your education, the higher your education, the more opportunities there are for your life."

Last year, Wilson wrote a book of essays for parents and educators titled Each Day: A Veteran Educator's Guide to Raising Children.

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About The Author

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John
Jessup

John Jessup serves as the main news anchor for CBN, based at the network's news bureau in Washington, D.C. He joined CBN News in September 2003, starting as a national correspondent and then covering the Pentagon and Capitol Hill. His work in broadcast news has earned him several awards in reporting, producing, and coordinating election coverage. While at CBN, John has reported from several places, including Moore, Oklahoma, after the historic EF5 tornado and parts of Louisiana, Mississippi, and Texas devastated by Hurricane Katrina. He also traveled to Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, during the height