SPECIAL ALERT - UPDATED 12/18/19
Dear Christian School Leader,
The proposed legislation in the New Jersey legislature that would diminish parental liberties to decide whether or not to not have a student vaccinated has passed in the Assembly, and has now moved on to the Senate. The religious exemption has been removed (see the attached Statement from the NJ Senate Committee on Health, Human Services, and Senior Citizens Committee). While the bill has been set aside in the Senate there's a very good chance it will come up again for a vote before the end of the legislative session on January 13, 2020.
Though you may or may not agree with the idea that every student should be vaccinated, there is a bigger issue that we are seeing. New Jersey legislators are gradually removing parental rights and religious freedoms from our schools and families.
In June, our New York ACSI schools had several setbacks in this area and are now fighting a battle to stop other non-essential vaccinations being required. As a result, many parents pulled their students from Christian schools and chose to homeschool them simply because New York’s new laws didn’t apply to homeschoolers (at that time). With the way parental rights are eroding, it may not be too long until homeschoolers will not be exempt. New Jersey has a tendency to not be far behind in its zeal to control parents, especially when there’s a religious liberty involved.
This is an opportunity to step up and make your voices heard! We would like all of our schools to send a broadcast to your parents asking them to sign up for the ACSI Voters Voice. This communication tool allows us to keep legislative issues that affect Christian education in the forefront, and easily communicates to appropriate legislators our positions on issues. A few simple clicks of a mouse and a letter is automatically emailed to your elected officials. You can even customize your communication if you desire, but there is no need to look up who represents you in Trenton (the software does it for you.) It will take 30 seconds (really, that's all it takes) to send a pre-written script to your state lawmakers. When you fill in your name and address, your legislators will be identified. Communicate with your lawmakers by clicking on this link (https://www.votervoice.net/ACSI/campaigns/69861/respond) and let your voice be heard.
The following resources will help families understand and address the issues involved in this bill:
The Health Freedom Advocacy Center
https://standforhealthfreedom.com/
The Fearless Parent
https://fearlessparent.org/
https://fearlessparent.org/dear-governor-murphy-protect-religious-exemp…
Thank you for standing up on behalf of all New Jersey citizens!
In Him,
The ACSINJ Leadership Team