The God Squad is stepping directly into the crosshairs of the school wars: the rapidly changing role of religion in American public education.

What was once a settled constitutional baseline under the First Amendment has become a fierce, high-stakes battleground. Across the country—and right here in our own backyard—the traditional dividing lines between church and state are being actively redrawn. We’re seeing sweeping new legislative pushes, from mandating the display of the Ten Commandments in classrooms to introducing taxpayer-funded volunteer school chaplain programs to counsel students. Simultaneously, debates rage over statewide constitutional amendments explicitly protecting religious expression in graded schoolwork, prompting mandatory daily moments of silence, and permitting organized prayer at high school sporting events.

While proponents champion these policies as a long-overdue restoration of moral, historical, and spiritual foundations in a secular culture, critics argue they risk weaponizing public education, encroaching on the Establishment Clause, and marginalizing students of minority faiths or non-religious backgrounds.

How do our different faith traditions view the classroom being utilized as the front line for religious and political anxiety? Can a public school genuinely foster community and moral character without implicitly endorsing a specific theology? What happens to a pluralistic society when we disagree on what happens at the schoolhouse door?

Join us for a nuanced and honest conversation around the legal history, shifting statutes, and raw human impact of bringing faith back into the public school system. Bring an open mind, an open heart, and your sharpest curiosity. The God Squad is back in session.

Don’t let the $10 ticket donation keep you from joining us. You can use the promo code SCHOOL to reveal a free ticket. Otherwise, your donation is greatly appreciated and keeps us moving forward for another 20 years and beyond!