If the Wyoming state government were pressing this issue on a k-12 school it would be egregious enough however; This is a Post Secondary School which people can choose to attend or not based on how they want to be trained.
Below is a letter to constituents from Nelson Miles, President of Frontier School of the Bible
Dear Friend,
I am writing to you in regard to a situation facing Frontier School of the Bible – a situation that could shut down our school in the state of Wyoming .
In 2006, the legislature was seeking to deal with diploma mills. New legislation not only addressed this issue, but also included religious schools and took away religious exemptions, which protected us from state control. We were not aware of this and had no notification. The statute requires private post-secondary schools to become accredited or become licensed by the state. Last fall, the Department of Education did notify us that we were in violation of the law. I explained to them that we were unaware of the statute and thought we were under a religious exemption. Also, I explained the nature of our school and asked them to reconsider an exemption. They told me they would consider my request. Last Friday, I received a letter from the Wyoming Department of Education stating that our request was denied and we had until April 15 to start the process of accreditation or state licensing.
Bringing our school into compliance with the new state statute in regard to accreditation would create the following problems:(1) It is very costly. As a faith-based institution, we do not have the financial resources to acquire and keep the accreditation.
(2) It would change the purpose and curriculum of the school.
(3) It would eliminate well-qualified instructors who do not have the higher degrees. We utilize experienced pastors and missionaries to train for those fields of ministry. Some have the higher degrees and some do not.
The other option is state licensing. This would involve having the State of Wyoming evaluate our Bible and ministry classes, instructors, and facilities to see if they want to grant us a license. Any changes to our curriculum would need to be approved by the Department of Education. Also, it appears that as a religious school we could not discriminate against religious beliefs and we would not be able to hold instructors or students to our doctrinal stand. This appears to be a clear violation of freedom of religion and one step away from state licensed churches. The implications of this situation could impact churches and Christian organizations all across our country.
We are asking Christians to fervently pray about this situation. We are praying that, if it is God’s will, legal action will not be needed. The Rutherford Institute and the ACLJ are looking at our situation.Thank you for your prayers.
In Him,
Nelson MilesPresident, Frontier School of the Bible
Mr Miles is only asking for prayer. We need to do more. If you live in Wyoming call and write your state legislature and ask them why they want to establish a state religion.
All it takes for evil to succeed is for good people to do nothing.
We must take a stand here.
Good heads up – that is a very ‘backwards’ approach, and seemingly completely unnecessary.
Do the schools give out diplomas? Why not give out certificates or something similar?
Thank you Gary! As an alumni (2001) of this school, I really appreciate your help!
They checked on giving out a certificate, like they did 10 years ago to me, and they still have to have certified teachers.
This legislation was written to curb some institutions giving a “diploma” for 60$ payment but no schooling. What they didn’t know is that it caught FSB in it too! So sad, and we are praying!
Here is an update on the above:
http://www.facebook.com/topic.php?topic=9198&uid=2220134937#/note.php?note_id=63585709709&ref=nf
Mr. Miles is asking that individuals NOT call or email state legislature, but PRAY as to them being able to set up a meeting and to continue the deadline date.