New York State is considering far-reaching new controls over private schools to make them “substantially equivalent” to public schools, sparking concerns among advocates of religious liberty and parental rights.
Under the proposal, students at private schools the state does not approve of could, legally at least, be declared “truant.” That would put parents at risk of being jailed while forcing children into public schools.
Especially alarmed have been parts of the Jewish community—in particular various Orthodox leaders and groups—that would be most affected. They say traditional Jewish schools, known as “yeshivas,” are in the crosshairs of the state and the activists pushing the measures….