Policies
203a
Mater Academy Preparatory
Date Approved: October 22, 2024
Ideology and Religious Expression Policy
The School shall not prohibit students from engaging in religious expression in completion of
homework, artwork, or other written or oral assignments. Assignment grades and scores shall be
calculated using ordinary academic standards of substance and relevance, including any
legitimate pedagogical concerns, and shall not penalize or reward a student based on religious
content of a student’s work.
The School shall allow students to engage in religious expression before, during, and after school
hours in the same manner and to the same extent that a student is permitted to engage in secular
activities or expression before, during, and after school hours.
The School shall provide the same access to school facilities to students who wish to conduct a
meeting for the purpose of engaging in religious expression as is given to secular student groups,
without regard to the content of a student's or group's expression.
Prohibitions:
(1) The School shall not solicit or require an employee or applicant for employment or
academic admission to affirmatively ascribe to, or opine about, specific beliefs,
affiliations, ideals, or principles concerning political movements, or ideology.
(2) The School shall not solicit or require a student to affirmatively ascribe to specific
beliefs, affiliations, ideals, or principles concerning political movements, or ideology.
(3) The School shall not use statements of commitment to specific beliefs, affiliations, ideals,
or principles concerning political movements, or ideology as part of the evaluation
criteria for employees or applicants for employment, or employees that are seeking career
progression or benefits.
(4) The School shall not use statements of commitment to specific beliefs, affiliations, ideals,
or principles concerning political movements or ideology as part of the academic
evaluation of students.
Construction:
Nothing in this policy shall be construed to prohibit, limit, or restrict any of the following:
(1) The School's authority to require a student or employee to comply with federal or state
law, including anti-discrimination laws, or to take action against a student or employee
for violation of federal or state law.
(2) An educator's academic freedom.
(3) An educator's ability to research or write publications about specific beliefs, affiliations,
ideals, or principles concerning political movements, ideology, or social action.
(4) The School's authority to consider an applicant for employment's scholarship, teaching, or
subject matter expertise in the applicant's given academic field.
(5) The School's authority to offer an established character education program.
Public Availability:
The School shall make publicly available all policies, guidance, and training materials used for
students, educators, and staff on all matters regarding specific beliefs, affiliations, ideals, or
principles concerning political movements, or ideology. However, this does not require the
School to make protected legal communications or guidance publicly available.
