New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio has not yet lifted a ban on churches renting public schools in the city for Sunday worship services, after a court ruling April 3 upheld the Michael Bloomberg-era policy. Despite the ruling, churches meeting in public schools will be able to hold services on Easter Sunday thanks to a forthcoming legal maneuver.
Over the past several days some news sources, including The Wall Street Journal, reported that de Blasio had lifted the ban, but the mayor’s office confirmed to me on Monday that the ban remains in place for now. As a mayoral candidate, de Blasio promised to undo the policy and marched with pastors in support of churches having the right to rent public school space like any other organization. Since the 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals upheld the ban on churches almost two weeks ago, de Blasio has reiterated his support for the churches but has not taken concrete action as of yet.
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