Conservative Legal Groups Sue Public School Yoga Programs

The American Center for Law and Justice — led by Trump attorney Jay Sekulow — is challenging public-school mindfulness programs for endorsing Buddhism. This is not the first time religious conservatives have argued that schools violate the First Amendment by establishing non-Christian religions. In 2013, the National Center for Law & Policy, supported by Alliance Defending Freedom, sued a California school district for advancing Hinduism through yoga.

Thousands of schools have begun to use yoga and/or mindfulness techniques with the goals of reducing stress and improving learning. Schools that use these approaches argue that yoga and mindfulness techniques are scientifically validated to teach life skills and develop character by helping kids learn to be compassionate, kind and nonjudgmental.