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First Liberty Attorney and Clients Testify Before President’s Religious Liberty Commission

by Jorge Gomez • 3 minutes

On Monday, the President’s Religious Liberty Commission held its second hearing to discuss religious freedom issues in public education from the perspectives of parents and students. The meeting was held at the Museum of the Bible in Washington, D.C.

First Liberty President and CEO Kelly Shackelford serves as one of the Commissioners, offering three decades of legal expertise. Kelly represents the only nonprofit religious liberty legal organization of its kind on the Commission.

President Trump attended the meeting and spoke about his administration’s support for religious liberty in America. During his speech, the President expressed his gratitude to Kelly, calling him a “wonderful person.” Watch below:

Several First Liberty clients testified. Each had an opportunity to share their story, their legal battles, and how they’ve been impacted by religious discrimination and attacks on their constitutional rights.

The Commission heard from:

• Shea Encinas: As a fifth-grader, he was forced to participate in an activity with his kindergarten buddy involving the book, My Shadow is Pink, conflicting with his and his family’s religious beliefs.
• Jenny Encinas: As one of several parents testifying, Jenny told of her experience of being denied an opt-out and harassed because of her faith after her son was forced to participate in that gender ideology activity.
• Hannah Allen: As a middle school student in Honey Grove, Texas, she was told that she and her friends could not pray in the lunchroom and would have to “move behind a curtain or meet alone outside.”
• Valerie Cleveringa: She described how she and her brother were told they couldn’t perform Christian songs at the elementary school talent show last year because the songs were too religious.

You can watch the full hearing below:

“Government and school officials violating the religious freedoms of children is inexcusable,” Shackelford said. “The testimonies at this week’s meeting highlight the need to make sure these violations don’t continue against other children and the urgency of ensuring the religious freedoms of our students—now and into the future.”

First Liberty Senior Counsel Jeremy Dys also testified as an expert witness, urging the Commission to act and hold school districts accountable to respect students of faith.

“As heard in the testimonies from current and former clients, religious liberty is currently under attack from those who ignore the protections guaranteed in the First Amendment,” Dys said. “We trust that the recommendations made today will reach judges and elected officials who are sworn to uphold and protect the U.S. Constitution.”

On Sept. 29, the Commission will continue its focus on education and hear from teachers and coaches, as well as discuss religious liberty issues in school funding and educational choice.