The Pennsylvania Board of Education has unanimously rejected an application from the Association of Christian Schools International (ACSI) for official accreditation of private schools, prompting allegations of religious discrimination.
The board made this decision during a public meeting on Thursday, following unfavorable recommendations from a special committee regarding ACSI's application, as reported by Lancaster Online.
ACSI currently accredits 2,200 private schools across the United States, including 116 in Pennsylvania. The organization sought formal recognition under Pennsylvania's Private Academic Schools Act to enhance its credibility and support its member schools.
The decision has sparked controversy amid arguments from Democratic lawmakers and progressive advocacy groups that ACSI’s policies on "biblical sexuality" are discriminatory. During the meeting, board members did not directly reference ACSI's policies.
Randall Wenger, the Independence Law Center attorney who represented ACSI, characterized the board's decision as “religious discrimination,” asserting that the recognition was denied solely due to ACSI's faith-based mission.
He expressed concern, saying, “Unfortunately, there are some groups that would want to derail ACSI's application to be recognized as an accrediting agency, not because of the quality of the work that they do, or the completeness of the application, but solely because of its religious beliefs.”
Wenger also pointed out that ACSI has been approved as an accrediting body in every other state where it has submitted an application and insisted that the application met all state requirements.
In contrast, the liberal advocacy organization Education Law Center contended that ACSI's policies regarding sexual orientation and gender identity are discriminatory and harmful to LGBT-identified students.
They referenced ACSI's 2023 document, “Guiding Principles on Biblical Sexuality,” as evidence of the allegedly “discriminatory” practices, claiming that its approach is narrow, exclusionary, and detrimental to students.
Republican state Rep. Bryan Cutler suggested that private schools tend to “lose the freedom to be independent” under state oversight, emphasizing that the State Board of Education does not need to approve ACSI's accreditation since it is already permitted under Pennsylvania law.
In response to the board's decision, ACSI is currently exploring its options, which may include appealing the ruling or reapplying at a later date.
