Cedar Fall preschool plan draws fire from Atheist group

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CEDAR FALLS --- The Board of Education's recent decision to invest more than $60,000 into a Cedar Falls church which will house part of the district's preschool program has caught the attention of the Freedom from Religion Foundation.

The Wisconsin-based nonprofit Friday sent a letter and email to Deon Senchina, the board president, detailing their concern with the decision. Senchina was not at the meeting when the decision was made.

"This is exactly the kind of entanglement that the founders of our country did not want to have," said Annie Laurie Gaylor, the foundation's co-president. "... This deal is at taxpayers' expense and it is unacceptable in our opinion."

Last week the board approved a $61,940 construction contract with Kidder Construction of Waterloo to remodel space inside Kaio Church, 815 Orchard Drive, which is located next door to Southdale Elementary. The project includes converting a janitor's closet into a handicap-accessible restroom, adding two preschool-age handicap accessible restrooms, installing emergency exits in the classroom spaces and other improvements that would bring the space up to code. Some asbestos removal work already has been completed at the district's expense.

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