At the Idaho Republican Party convention this week, a lobbyist argued for more Christian control in childhood education, the Idaho Capital Sun reports.
Blaine Conzatti, president of Idaho Family Policy Center, was a featured speaker at the convention and advocated for a Christian approach to government on several social issues and church-run public schools in front of a classroom of convention attendees.
Conzatti argued that public schools in the early U.S. were administered by local churches and he’d “like to see that again. But until we get there, the question is, ‘How do we mitigate the harm that’s done and do as much good as we can in the system?’”
During his presentation, Conzatti said he believes the way to preserve a constitutional government in the U.S. is through education based in Christianity.
“Again, what’s the purpose of a public education? Love of God, love of country,” Conzatti said.
The Idaho GOP convention began Thursday and will conclude Sunday evening on the College of Southern Idaho campus.
The Idaho Family Policy Center was involved with drafting and pushing several pieces of legislation in Idaho, including Idaho’s abortion trigger law banning nearly all abortions and failed legislation regarding health care for transgender minors.
Recently, Conzatti had expressed support for legislation to ban emergency contraceptions and IUDs and removing rape and incest exceptions in abortion laws.
The Idaho lobbyist also discussed sex education in schools and polices on what bathrooms students can use based on their biological sex.
Conzatti added the policy center is against early childhood education for children ages 3 to 5, staying he believes the idea is rooted in Marxism.
Currently, Idaho does not have state-funded early childhood education. The National Education Association states early childhood education increases the likelihood of high school graduation, decreases the likelihood of a child needing to repeat a grade and can lead to higher earnings in the workforce.