Hannibal-LaGrange University, affiliated with the Missouri Baptist Convention since 1857, has formally requested a religious accommodation from the U.S. Department of Education from a Biden-era regulation, 34 CFR §668.14. Without timely action by the Department, the university intends to file a lawsuit seeking relief to safeguard its religious freedoms.
The contested regulation, implemented in the final months of the Biden administration, compels independent religious bodies like the MBC to co-sign financial responsibility agreements (Program Participation Agreements, PPAs) with universities such as HLGU. The unprecedented “Co-signature mandate” interferes with the autonomy of religious institutions, noted counsel for HLGU, forcing them either to assume unprecedented financial liabilities or else relinquish their right to appoint trustees according to their religious doctrines.
“Demanding that Missouri Baptist churches give up their religious rights or face financial ruin is contrary to the First Amendment and the Religious Freedom Restoration Act,” said Jon Whitehead, who is representing HLGU in the case. “This regulation threatens the religious autonomy of Baptist, Catholic, and other denominational institutions, and undermines longstanding principles of nonprofit governance.”
EDITOR’S NOTE — This story was originally published by the Pathway.
