The Jewish Congress stated in an Oct. 3 press release that the agency is violating the Constitution by sponsoring the teaching of religion in sectarian schools.
The Corporation for National and Community Service, which denied the charges, was created in 1993 by then-President Clinton to oversee AmeriCorps and other programs.
"We are confident that all of our programs meet constitutional and other legal standards," stated chief executive officer Leslie Lenkowsky in an Oct. 4 press release.
The organization, funded and chartered by the federal government, was not included in the 2003 national budget, even though President Bush requested $638 million dollars for AmeriCorps.
"Since its inception in 1993, the Corporation for National and Community Service has supported more than 250,000 AmeriCorps members in meeting critical needs in education, health and public safety," he said. "The corporation will continue to advance its mission of engaging all Americans in service."
Marc Stern, attorney for the Jewish Congress said, "It appears that AmeriCorps participants are teaching religion at parochial schools. This violates First Amendment rights set out by the Constitution and the charter established for AmeriCorps under federal law."
Members of the Jewish Congress said that even though the corporation claims that a teacher taught personal religious beliefs to students during times not allocated for the program, a person sponsored by and publicly identified with AmeriCorps should not teach religion at all.
The Jewish Council stated that the corporation also makes grants for "administrative costs" to go to religiously affiliated organizations because the corporation oversees other organizations such as the Alliance for Catholic Education.
According to its Web site, the ACE provides "an intensive two-year service experience encompassing professional development, community life and spiritual growth." ACE requires teachers to live together in communities, "bound together in the Christian vision."
