Readers Write: Education, food

Opinion editor’s note: Strib Voices publishes letters from readers online and in print each day. To contribute, click here.

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The U.S. Supreme Court’s recent ruling in St. Isidore of Seville Catholic Virtual School v. Drummond affirms what Minnesotans have long understood: Charter schools are public schools — and public means nonreligious.

In 1991, the Minnesota Legislature pioneered a transformative approach to education by creating charter schools — public schools governed by nonprofit or cooperative groups of educators, parents and community members. These schools, granted a “public charter,” were established to foster new and innovative educational opportunities. According to MN Statute 124E.03, “A charter school is a public school and is part of the state’s system of public education.” This means that, while the organization that governs a charter school is a nonprofit, the school program itself is a public school, and as such is a state actor.

The notion of a “religious public charter school” is not only contradictory — it is unconstitutional. Charter schools are bound by both federal and state constitutions, including the First Amendment, which enshrines the principle of the separation of church and state. Allowing a sectarian organization to operate a public charter school violates the letter and spirit of Minnesota’s charter school law.

Charter schools, like all public schools, must adhere to the Establishment Clause of the First Amendment, which requires neutrality toward religion. Courts have consistently held that public schools may neither promote nor inhibit religion, nor prefer one faith over another — or religion over nonreligion. Thus, as charter schools are public schools, they cannot do anything that promotes a particular religion or faith.

At the Minnesota Association of Charter Schools, we believe deeply in the unique and essential roles that both public education and religious institutions play in the development of young people. But those roles are distinct. Blurring the lines between them threatens not only the charter sector but also the broader ideals of religious liberty and democratic governance.

Founded to provide community-responsive, innovative and equitable public educational choices, chartered public schools succeed by upholding these important constitutional principles. By remaining neutral and inclusive, they can fulfill their mission while protecting both religious liberty and the democratic values that sustain our society.

Joseph Cienian, St. Paul

The writer is executive director of the Minnesota Association of Charter Schools.

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An open letter to University of Minnesota President Rebecca Cunningham and the Board of Regents: It’s time to join other universities and stand up to the threats from President Donald Trump and his administration’s efforts to impose restrictions on research and academic freedom. The attacks on Harvard will continue until SCOTUS makes a ruling favorable to the First Amendment. Sitting on the sidelines, hoping to fly under the radar is a terrible strategy. The president has a history of not honoring agreements, so there is no guarantee that federal funds will not be threatened or actually withheld for some suspected or fictitious infraction — support for the Palestinians suffering genocide, unfounded accusations of antisemitism on campus, relying on diversity, equity or inclusion in hiring or student admissions, etc.

The attacks on and canceling support for scientific research in universities and federal departments is crippling the scientific progress of the United States. The list of discoveries and breakthroughs from past government-sponsored university research is long and impacts our daily lives, from the internet and microchips, to cancer research and novel materials, to beloved Minnesota apples and insect-resistant crops. The partnership between universities and industry is a cornerstone of the economic growth of the United States. A simple online search lists many important advances that benefit us all. One pillar of Project 2025 is the dismantling of higher learning and control of teaching at all levels from K-12 through university-level courses. An educated population, free to discuss ideas and challenge the groupthink of authoritarians, is critical to a free society.

Michael Bennett, Eden Prairie

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I did not receive an Ivy League education. I was state school all the way (Bemidji State, Moorhead State, University of Minnesota - Duluth, University of Minnesota - Twin Cities). But I now feel a kinship with Harvard University. Nothing that the university is accused of justifies Trump’s blatant efforts to crush its effectiveness as one of the world’s most renowned centers of academic excellence. Trump is carefully following the playbook of Hungary’s Prime Minister Viktor Orban, which prescribes the elimination of higher education institutions as sources of independent thought so as to enable authoritarianism. The Trump administration’s heavy-handed efforts will injure us all if they succeed. Lifesaving medical innovations will slow. Scientific breakthroughs will decline. But most importantly, the political freedoms that we all still enjoy will dwindle because successful intimidation begets more intimidation.

Patrick Hamilton, St. Paul

Sonja Trom Eayrs’ eloquent documentation of corporate serfdom of once-independent family farms by the multinational Big Ag meat industry in Minnesota is an issue across the United States (“Big Ag’s corporate culture of indifference has been years in the making,” Strib Voices, May 27). This began during the Reagan administration with smaller family farm closures, and is now at the point where large pork, poultry and cattle animal factories decimate rural communities; contribute to air and water pollution and to climate change. The public health risks from antibiotic-resistant bacteria and, currently, the highly infectious H5N1 bird flu virus now impacting the dairy industry and infecting workers and attending veterinarians, were predicted decades ago with the proliferation of these CAFOs: concentrated/confined animal feeding operations.

For political reasons their proliferation will not be abated under the banner of “Making America Healthy Again.” Non-vegetarian consumers can vote with their forks and purchase USDA Certified Organic animal products coupled with Animal Welfare Certified meat and poultry products from farmers who are embracing animal health and welfare and ecologically more sustainable agricultural practices.

Michael W. Fox, Golden Valley

The writer is a veterinarian.

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It’s not too early to start thinking about holding a Make America Great Again Fourth of July picnic. Here are some tips: Be sure not to eat any sausages or bratwurst. The foods themselves were brought to America by immigrants and they were made by immigrants in packing plants. Also, don’t eat any fruits, lettuce, carrots, tomatoes, onions, garlic, almonds or other nuts. They were all raised by immigrants. Guacamole is out; most of our avocados come from Mexico. The ones that are grown in the U.S. are grown by immigrants.

Make sure the guests at the picnic walk or ride bicycles made more than 20 years ago. Newer bikes were made in other countries. At best, they were only assembled by immigrants in the U.S. from foreign parts. Trucks are out. Diesel engines were invented by an immigrant. Cars and planes contain a lot of parts manufactured in foreign countries. Trains run on tracks laid by Chinese and other Asian immigrants.

Of course, you will want to send invitations by letter. Most electronic devices or their parts are made in other countries, not the United States. And don’t get me started on noodles, sushi, potatoes (originated in South America and popularized in the U.S. by immigrants), sauerkraut, tacos, tea, coffee and beer. Happy (early) birthday, America!

Gary Brisbin, Fridley