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Secretary of Education Rod Paige under fire for support of Christian schools
"All things equal," U.S. Secretary of Education Rod Paige told Baptist Press earlier this week, "I would prefer to have a child in a school that has a strong appreciation for the values of the Christian community, where a child is taught to have a strong faith. Where a child is taught that, there is a source of strength greater than themselves."

Well, that's kind of what he said. The Department of Education called a press conference Wednesday to clarify the remarks and to released a partial transcript of the Baptist Press interview.

"Given the choice between private and Christian, uh, or private and public universities, who do you think has the best deal?" Baptist Press reporter Todd Starnes asked.

"That's a judgment, too, that would vary because each of them have real strong points and some of them have vulnerabilities," Paige replied. "But you know, all things being equal, I'd prefer to have a child in a school where there's a strong appreciation for values, the kinds of values that I think are associated with the Christian communities, so that this child can be brought up in an environment that teaches them to have strong faith and to understand that there is a force greater than them personally."

But both statements caused a major backlash, not just against Paige, but against any who would support religious schools.

"One may take from [the comments] that Mr. Paige's personal preference is for Christian schools, which is not a firing offense but is faintly insulting given that he is the nation's lead spokesman for public schools," says a Washington Post editorial. "Or one may see it as an encouragement to public school teachers to mimic Christian values and teach children to have a strong faith, which is also odd given that the Supreme Court frowns on the practice."

Most reactors interpret the comments with the latter understanding.

"This is the Taliban approach to education," said U.S. Rep. Gary Ackerman (D-N.Y.). "Zero diversity. Only their religious values. Tolerate no others because they are 'heathens.'" Ackerman, along with 11 other members of Congress, sent a letter to Paige saying, "If you are unprepared to make clear that this sort of religious bigotry has no place in the Department of Education, then we would urge you to resign."

Sen. Edward M. Kennedy (D-Mass), also wrote a public letter to Paige. "By expressing your preference for schools that teach the values of a single faith, you send an unacceptable signal that some families and children are favored over others because of their faith," wrote the ranking Democrat on the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee.

Newspapers were no kinder. The New York Times said Paige's comments were "an appalling gaffe that cries out for condemnation. Paige's statements reinforce suspicions that the administration is in sympathy with the religious right's drive to undermine the public school system in favor of a voucher-financed nationwide network of religious schools."

But as Paige made clear, his comments weren't about public K-12 schools, but about higher education. No matter, says the Times. "They were too destructive to be waved off with a clarification. The secretary of education needs either to do some fast fence-mending or step down." (Pay no attention to reality! We're outraged!)

"I don't doubt that the secretary's quote is a sincere expression of his religious beliefs, but it troubles me just the same," writes Jarvis DeBerry in the New Orleans Time-Picayune. "My folks would not have been happy had a Muslim secretary of education longed for public schools that teach Islam. So I'd be a hypocrite to say Secretary Paige's words are okay, just because he's a Baptist like me."

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April (Web-only) 2003, Vol. 47