Photo from adfmedia.org
CV NEWS FEED // In December 2022, the California government suspended Dayspring Preschool from a food program that provided meals for children in need. Last Friday, Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF), the National Center for Law and Policy, and Advocates for Faith and Freedom filed an amended complaint and a motion for a preliminary injunction against California officials and the Biden administration on behalf of Dayspring.
The preschool and daycare is located in El Cajon and run by the Church of Compassion. When the Biden administration expanded “sex” to include “gender identity” and “sexual orientation” under Title IX, the California Department of Social Services and the U.S. Department of Agriculture pulled food program funding from Dayspring Preschool. The Church of Compassion maintains Christian views on sexuality.
Dayspring is not the first school to face pressure from the Biden administration and state officials over food programs because of religious beliefs. Grant Park Christian Academy in Florida experienced a similar dilemma, and ADF lawyers successfully defended the school last year.
For almost two decades, families at Dayspring and Church of Compassion participated in the food program, receiving $42,000 to $48,000 yearly to feed the underprivileged children in their daycare and preschool. With a high immigrant population in El Cajon, 40% of the children are below the poverty line. Dayspring provides many young students with tuition assistance, and many of the local families are eligible for food program meals.
“Our preschool serves all families,” said Dayspring Principal Kelly Wade, “but we do not want the government to force us to replace our core values and the essential beliefs of our Christian faith or make us agree to adopt and express the state’s contrary beliefs.”
According to ADF’s Monday press release, “Government officials demanded that Church of Compassion and Dayspring fully comply with new ‘sexual orientation’ and ‘gender identity’ nondiscrimination provisions, including in their religious employment practices, or forfeit the right to receive public funds used to feed needy children.”
The mandate demands subscription to Title IX in every aspect, including pronoun usage, dress codes, and bathrooms. The lawsuit alleges violations of Free Speech, Freedom of Association, the Religious Freedom Restoration Act, and other legal protections and rights.
Despite government pressure, Dayspring holds to its religious convictions.
“I tell them God is not afraid of their loud singing voice,” Wade said of her students. “They worship in a way that’s appropriate for kids: They jump and clap. It is my heart’s desire that every one of these kids leave our school with a positive view of God, knowing that God wants a personal relationship with them.”
