How a Christian group crafted Miami school board policy

By Sommer Brugal

Axios Miami

June 18, 2024

Liberty Counsel, an advocacy group that promotes a "historically Christian and biblical" worldview, helped write the Miami-Dade School Board's policy for opening invocations at meetings.

Why it matters: Public education advocates say conservative officials are increasingly pushing Christian ideals in Florida schools.

  • Liberty Counsel, which describes itself as a ministry and legal advocacy organization, is classified as an anti-LGBTQ+ hate group by the Southern Poverty Law Center.

Driving the news: The Liberty Counsel's role in crafting the policy wasn't publicly disclosed, but it surfaced in emails recently obtained by national progressive watchdog group True North Research.

  • The emails, shared with Axios, show that representatives of Liberty Counsel and the Christian Family Coalition sent board member Roberto Alonso another district's "legislative prayer policy" in early May 2023.

Catch up quick: Alonso proposed the new invocation policy that month, and the board approved it in August.

  • At the time, Alonso said an invocation would set a positive tone for the meeting and "bring to light" the diversity in the school district, but supporters who spoke largely espoused the Christian faith.
  • The policy largely echoed the language provided to him by the two Christian groups, which had previously been adopted by Okaloosa County.
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