Issues@Hand

AFA initiatives, Christian activism, news briefs

April 2020 – Over the past year, President Donald Trump and the U.S. Department of Education (DOE) have made inroads to protect religious freedom on American college and university campuses.

This July, as part of the president’s Higher Education Act, one new regulation is set to go into effect. It ensures an institution’s faith-based policies cannot be used as a negative factor in determining accreditation.

Another rule, proposed in December, is also set to take effect in July, expanding access to Teacher Education Assistance for College and Higher Education (TEACH) Grants. In essence, faith-based institutions of higher learning will no longer be disqualified from these grants simply due to religious convictions or policies.

Trump also announced in September that discriminatory restrictions on financing funds for faith-based, historically black colleges and universities were lifted, and they would enjoy equal access to federal funds.

And finally, in January, the DOE proposed a rule by which discrimination against any religious student organization could result in the loss of government funding for the discriminatory institution.

campusreform.org, 1/20/20; christianpost.com, 1/30/20