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19 Rutgers J. L. & Religion 247 (2018)
Religious Exemptions for Religious Daycares: A Long-Standing Disparity in Care

handle is hein.journals/rjlr19 and id is 248 raw text is: RELIGIOUS EXEMPTIONS FOR RELIGIOUS DAYCARES: A LONG-STANDING DISPARITY IN CARE Ashley Maddison* I. INTRODUCTION Why are states still allowing children to die at daycares exempt from licensing requirements due to religious affiliation? Most recently, in August of 2017, a 5-year-old child died at the hands of a person who likely would have been barred from working in a state-licensed facility. This article will address the recent failure of Alabama to enact an adequate statute that could prevent this situation, despite the child's death. It will also review how other states have been able to accommodate religious child care facilities in the recent past. Alabama has seen a rise in unlicensed daycares under religious exemptions, and it seems to be a national trend evidencing a larger problem with religious accommodations. This article will focus on why bills are not succeeding in pulling religious daycares under the authority of state oversight, and how further federal action is required to address this issue. II. BACKGROUND This past August 5-year-old Kamden Johnson died from heat exposure after being left in his daycare van in 92 degree heat.' His body was found on the side of the road, where it had been dumped by the woman responsible for his transportation, Valarie Rena Patterson.2 Patterson had a lengthy arrest record dating back to 1991 in multiple states, including a charge of negligent driving with children in the vehicle.3 Unfortunately, the hiring of unfit * Staff Writer, New Developments, Rutgers Journal of Law and Religion: J.D. Candidate May 2019, Rutgers School of Law. 1 Anna Claire Vollers, After death of 5-year-old, a look at the Alabama laws that left his day care unlicensed, AL.CoM (August 24, 2017), http://www.al.com/news/index.ssf/2017/08/after-day care van death of5-.html. 2 Id. 3 Id.

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