Ya this is a really sad turn of events for the US. When I was growing up in the 80s and 90s, public school was considered one of the pillars of the American Way

Ya this is a really sad turn of events for the US. When I was growing up in the 80s and 90s, public school was considered one of the pillars of the American Way, like free speech and MTV. But after 9/11, trillions of dollars got funneled to Christian nationalist groups loosely aligned against Islam and diversity in general, who wouldn't have otherwise received that money, that work tirelessly to underline American values like the separation of church and state that you mentioned. Now whole generations have been raised under an MTV that doesn't play music videos. It seems like it's the same, because we have reality shows and influencers and people who are famous because they are famous. But it's not the same. Private school is not the same as public school and it never will be. I would even go so far as to say that it misses the point of education altogether. Like a for-profit church or hospital. Privatization is making America a caricature of itself.