School officials in the city of Chicago are being sued by the famed Moody Bible Institute for their public schools programs that banish qualified prospective teachers from Moody from participating in required classroom observations.
“If the First Amendment means anything, it means that religious institutions and religious people have the same rights as everybody else,” said a lawyer for the ADF, which is representing Moody.
“We believe that the First Amendment speaks very clearly to that issue. And just like Christian students shouldn’t be forced to give up opportunities for following their faith, a Christian school shouldn’t be forced to choose between its faith and advancing educational opportunities for its students,” he said, according to a report at CBN.
The case is seeking a declaratory judgment and injunction to prevent Chicago Public Schools from continuing its discrimination against Moody students.
The filing charges the district not only has harmed the school’s reputation but also its elementary education students’ job prospects.
The action against the city and its board of education was triggered by officials’ decision to bar students from Moody from participating in a student-teacher program, because of the college’s faith-based hiring policies.
The filing was in U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois.
The report explained, “Moody Bible Institute’s Bachelor of Arts in Elementary Education program requires prospective teachers to complete a minimum number of classroom observation, practicum, and student-teaching hours.”
But Chicago school officials are refusing to let Moody students participate “unless Moody abandons its religiously based hiring practices and hires employees who disagree with Moody’s core mission and biblical values,” the report said.
The heart of the issue is the district’s advocacy for the anti-biblical transgender agenda.
“As a condition of participation, Chicago Public Schools insists that Moody sign agreements with employment nondiscrimination provisions that forbid Moody from employing only those who share and live out its faith,” the lawsuit charges.
Moody requested an amendment to the policy, as the district already has agreed with other schools including Trinity Christian College and Concordia University, but was refused.
“By allowing these other colleges and universities to participate in the Program, Chicago Public Schools demonstrates that it selectively enforces its employment nondiscrimination policy,” the filing charged.