Talk:Church school

In the most recent edit, I removed the conflation of Parochial Schools and Church School by removing the redirect to Parochial School

Generally speaking
Should we just make a list of how each jurisdiction defines it? ElderHap (talk) 23:52, 25 April 2010 (UTC)


 * Please can we keep the discussion in one place, namely Talk:Parochial school? - Fayenatic (talk) 13:21, 26 April 2010 (UTC)

Elderhap, could you please explain the distinction you're making between 'church school' and 'Christian school'? Also, why is the state of Alabama's legal definition of 'church school' useful here? Thanks, --Macrakis (talk) 22:18, 18 August 2010 (UTC)


 * Church school has become a legal term of art in Alabama due to its definition in Alabama's legislation. Christian schools probably comprise the majority of church schools, but some church schools may operate as non-Christian schools, e.g., Jewish, Hindu, etc.  Further, the state does not distinguish any theistic faiths and applies the generic term "church".  Also, Alabama's definition is useful here to provide information on the distinction the state made and continues to make in its laws regarding compulsory education.  Church schools are distinct from private schools and public schools.  Do you see any other useful qualities of the information and its appearance in the article?  I'd like to improve the article, but so far I've only been able to research the Alabama definition.  I don't know if other states define it.  This would be a good place to discuss the research, don't you agree? ElderHap (talk) 21:38, 2 September 2010 (UTC)


 * So it sounds as though "church school" in Alabama is what would more generically be called a Faith school or "Religious school". Since Wikipedia is not a legal dictionary (of Alabama or any other jurisdiction), the article names should reflect common usage, not technical usage.  The existing Faith school article concentrates on the situation in the UK, but it should be internationalized to cover faith schools in other jurisdictions. --Macrakis (talk) 22:42, 2 September 2010 (UTC)


 * I don't think that's a good idea. Church schools in Alabama are nothing like what faith schools appear to be.  Also, the common understanding of what a church school in Alabama is communicated all through the state.  The common usage of "church school" admittedly flows from the technical legal meaning; however, it seems insufficient to justify the nullification of the article based on the nature of the origins of its usage.  Since Alabama has not only a special meaning for the term, but also a distinct framework encompassing the concept, it may be more proper to offer a disambiguation.  For example, if someone looking for an article about parochial schools searched for "church schools" we could set it up where they get the option to choose parichial school versus, say, "Church School as a home school option".  Is that a disambiguation? I'm not sure how it works.

Also, maybe someone could elaborate on that framework to make the article more substantial and informative. I don't have a lot of extra time, but can add a little when I get the opportunity. ElderHap (talk) 23:38, 4 September 2010 (UTC)


 * I just read faith school and realized that it references church schools. I think it should be changed to delete the reference.  Indeed, the article admits that parochial schools fit the context of what the article is describing.  ElderHap (talk) 23:44, 4 September 2010 (UTC)

Public school elective
When I was growing up, we used the term "church school" to refer to an elective activity (once a week, I think) where kids could substitute a study hall period and be bussed down to the local church for a lesson. Information on that sort of activity was what I came to this article looking for. 65.0.207.66 (talk) 17:48, 15 August 2012 (UTC)