They were a bastion of tolerance when I was a kid - have they changed hands since then?
From the Freedom from Religion Foundation:
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ACTION ALERT! CHILDREN'S PUBLICATION MISREADS CONSTITUTION
ASK SCHOLASTIC NEWS FOR KIDS TO ACKNOWLEDGE NONRELIGION
October 21, 2009
A member's daughter-in-law recently complained to FFRF that her son
was given a Scholastic News for Kids magazine at school containing
unclear information about the constitutional principle of the
separation between state and church. The lines read: "The constitution
says we can be any religion. We are free to choose." A child might
infer that an American must choose a religion. It would be more
appropriate and factual to say, "The constitution says we can be any
religion, or no religion at all."
The U.S. Constitution affords all Americans, including atheists and
agnostics, the right to believe or disbelieve in any religion. At a
time when at least 15% of Americans identify openly as nonreligious (
http://www.americanreligionsurvey-aris.org/reports/ARIS_Report_2008.pdf), it would seem appropriate for a child-oriented publication,
especially one distributed in public schools, to show awareness of
this rapidly growing constituency of freethinkers. Children in public
schools should not feel compelled to choose a religion. They must also
know that they can choose no religion.
Please send a message to Scholastic News for Kids asking them to
acknowledge, in their next issue, that the constitution also protects
the rights of conscience of nonbelievers. You may wish to thank them
for their otherwise informative publication.
CONTACT
Glenn Greenberg, Editor
Scholastic News For Kids
557 Broadway
New York NY 10012
ggreenberg@scholastic.com
1-800-724-6527 (Phone Scholastic Customer Center)