The US was created in part as a refuge for the free exercise of various religious beliefs, or none at all. The First Amendment gets to it straightaway: “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof.” The founders were clear: religion has no place in our government. Yet here we are in 2023 seeing more and more school boards (and water boards, and city councils) infiltrated by those who would restrict students’ freedom — often, ironically, in the name of “religious freedom” — to learn about slavery, racism, and LGBTQ+ Americans. And these restrictions aren’t just happening in conservative bastions like Texas or Florida. Increasingly, they’re creeping into California and even nipping at the city limits of Claremont.