Published August 10, 2023
In the spring of 2023, a public school board in Arizona voted unanimously to cancel a Christian university’s student teaching contract with local elementary schools, citing the university’s Christian beliefs. The decision ended an 11-year relationship between Arizona Christian University (ACU) and the Washington Elementary School District (WESD) in Phoenix and Glendale, Ariz.—or so it seemed.
Thankfully, the story didn’t end there. This fall, ACU student teachers will once again return to classrooms in district schools as they have in past years. This positive and prompt resolution is a result of this Christian university’s record of serving the district, campus leadership’s action to reverse an unjust decision, and the campus community’s commitment to pray for resolution.
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Jennifer Patterson is director of the Institute of Theology and Public Life at Reformed Theological Seminary (Washington, D.C.) and a senior fellow with the Ethics and Public Policy Center.
Jennifer Patterson is a senior fellow at the Ethics and Public Policy Center. Her work focuses on projects related to religious freedom and overcoming poverty, drawing on her more than 25 years of experience in public policy.
