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Funding to Alaska Christian College Suspended

SOLDOTNA,AK (October 11, 2005) - The U.S. Department of Education (DOE) on Friday suspended $431,000 in funding to Alaska Christian College (ACC) after ruling the money was used for religious instruction.

During the last three years, Alaska's congressional delegation has obtained approximately $1 million for the school through earmarked funding programs, including the $431,000. The school's president, Keith Hamilton, has said in the past that the allocation amounted to 34 percent of the school's budget.

The DOE began investigating the funding after a lawsuit was filed April 21 by the Freedom From Religion Foundation based in Madison, Wisconsin. The group argued that the funding violated the separation of church and state because ACC "promotes whole-life discipleship, including teaching from the Bible and teaching about faith in Christ." On its website, the foundation describes itself as "a national membership association of freethinkers: atheists, agnostics and skeptics of any pedigree."

This past summer the DOE temporarily halted the funding until its investigation could be completed. Hamilton says the loss of funds means scholarships will not be available to students, most of whom are impoverished Alaska Natives and Native Americans. Hamilton says the school, which was established in 2000, helps students transition from village life to their first year of college. Less than five percent of Alaska Native high school graduates complete even their first semester of college, statistics show.

The Becket Fund for Religious Liberty, which assists organizations with First Amendment issues, is consulting with the school regarding the lawsuit.

To read more about the issues, please see an April 28 story published at the time the lawsuit was filed at Lawsuit. To learn more about the impact the lawsuit has had on scholarships, please see an update report published August 2 at Scholarships.

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