New York City Mayor Rudolph Giuliani has offered to negotiate the 1egalities involved in his plan to place 1,000 of the most poorly-educated public school students in parochial schools. This development, along with the willingness of Schools Chancellor Rudy Crew to consider the mayor’s novel approach, bodes well for the prospective beneficiaries of the program. It also bodes well for the public that will be well-served by the results of Mayor Giuliani’s efforts.
Commenting on this aspect of the program today is the president of the Catholic League, William A. Donohue:
“Those who are truly interested in assisting the poor will welcome Mayor Giuliani’s initiative to place some of the lowest-achieving public school students in parochial schools. To be sure, there are constitutional questions that need to be resolved, but Mayor Giuliani’s determination to find a way that services the poor without violating the First Amendment should be given strong support. Having argued cases before the Supreme Court, Mayor Giuliani is no stranger to constitutional issues and is therefore uniquely qualified to address the legalities involved in his public-parochial plan.
“The Catholic League calls on New Yorkers of every faith to allow Mayor Giuliani the time he needs to develop a workable plan. If he succeeds, both the poor and the public will win. To oppose his initiative is to ratify the status quo, and that is clearly unacceptable.”
The Catholic League is the nation’s largest Catholic civil rights organization. It defends individual Catholics and the institutional Church from defamation and discrimination.
