Religious Leaders Protest Decision of N.Y. Board of Education

Spokesmen for Jewish religious schools in New York City joined with Christian representatives here to accuse the New York City Board of Education of depriving poor children of the benefits due them under federal law.

The spokesmen made their views known at a conference with officials of the U.S. Office of Education for which Rep. Hugh L. Casey, Brooklyn Democrat, and member of the House Education Committee, served as chairman. The meeting was called at the request of leaders of religious school systems in New York City. They sought a review of a recent decision of the New York Board of Education severely restricting participation in new federal school aid programs of more than 60, 000 disadvantaged pupils in non-public schools.

Jewish spokesmen included Dr. Joseph Kaminetsky, director of Torah Ume-sorah, the National Society for Hebrew Day Schools; Rabbi Morris Sherer, executive vice-president of Agudath Israel of America; and Rabbi Leonard Rosenfeld of the Jewish Education Committee. They expressed disappointment that the Board of Education had ruled that children of non-public schools must go to public schools for any after-school services to which they are entitled. The Jewish spokesmen said that this ruling in effect deprives children of Jewish day schools of benefits to which they are entitled by law.

Spokesmen for Catholic, Lutheran and Greek Orthodox schools also demanded that the Board of Education rescind its policy on such federal aid and revert to its original agreement to treat non-public school children on an equal basis with those in public schools.