Public Policy & Legal Affairs
Public Policy & Legal Affairs
- COVID-19 Resources
- Legislative Tracking
- Advocacy Initiatives
- Policy Resources
- Legal Legislative Update (LLU)
- Legal Defense Reimbursement Program (LDRP)
- Events
- Public Policy & Advocacy Summit
Some or all parts of page are a member-only resource.
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Darkness to Light Abuse - Prevention Training
ACSI partners with Darkness to Light to offer "Stewards of Children," a child sexual-abuse prevention training program for schools.
Learn MoreACSI identifies, analyzes, and works with a broad array of legal, regulatory, and legislative issues. The team is led by P. George Tryfiates, Vice President for Public Policy & Legal Affairs, who works in Washington, DC on a wide array of legislative
and policy matters with a focus on federal issues. Philip Scott, Vice President for Legal Affairs, also in the Washington, DC office, handles a broad range of legal and legislative matters. The team is also joined by Dr. Jay McCurry, National Director for State Advocacy,
and Rebecca VanDeMark, Public Policy & Legal Affairs Assistant. Each year the team hosts an annual Public Policy and Advocacy Summit held in Washington DC and produces the Legal Legislative Update, a publication that is mailed to member schools three times annually.
HR & Employment Law for Christian Schools Workshop
A Common challenge for Christian schools is the ability to keep up with all the laws that impact recruiting, interviewing, and hiring employees. Most schools do not have the resources for a Human Resource department to constantly study all the changes federal and state laws that have to do with employment. HR has become a complex issue when dealing with applications, contracts, benefits, and even dismissal if needed. Determining what laws apply can be very challenging for any school leader. These events are designed to help Christian school leaders negotiate the complex process of Human Resources and Employment laws. These are six hour sessions that include a CEU for participation.
Speaker: Philip Scott, ACSI Vice President for Legal Affairs
Locations: 2023: Florida and Georgia
ACSI Public Policy & Legal Affairs Department is actively looking at issues related to the Coronavirus COVID-19 outbreak that impact Christian education. This page is designed to give you current, relevant information and is updated as new information unfolds.
ACSI tracks U.S. federal and state legislative efforts that have the potential to impact your school.
ACSI urges Christian schools to be proactive to protect a space for Christian education and further its goals both nationally and internationally. Follow legislation, key court cases, media and public events.
The Public Policy & Legal Affairs Department has collected nearly 400 articles, checklists, and templates for member school use.
This is a member benefit resource.
The LLU is a trade journal dedicated to legal and legislative issues concerning non-profit religious education and its related subtopics, with an emphasis in K–12 education.
Check out a sample issue
Legal Legislative Update (LLU)
(This is a member benefit resource)
ACSI has consistently looked for opportunities to assist member schools with practical, affordable services. As a result of seeing member schools face various legal actions involving employees or students, ACSI developed the Legal Defense Reimbursement Program.
P. George
Tryfiates
Vice President for Public Policy & Legal Affairs
P. George Tryfiates is ACSI’s Vice President for Public Policy & Legal Affairs in Washington, DC. He has filled multiple roles in public policy throughout his career in D.C., including one as executive director for over 13 years of a national Christian public policy organization and, earlier, as the first full-time executive director of a state-level Christian public policy organization. The latter he helped to transition from its volunteer base in one part of the state to the state capital. George has participated in all aspects of public policy, including nonprofit governance and policy, advocacy, and media. He holds an M.A. in public policy from Regent University. George enjoys history and lives with his wife in historic Fredericksburg where Jefferson crafted his Statute of Virginia for Religious Freedom. They have been married for 33 years and have four adult children who all graduated from Christian high school.
Email Phone: 202.558.7040
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Philip Scott
Vice President for Legal Affairs
Philip Scott has worked with ACSI since 2011 and currently serves as the Vice President for Legal Affairs in the Washington, DC office. While he has held multiple roles at ACSI, his current focus is on state advocacy and helping to organize state Christian school voices. Philip’s background is a blend of education, religion, and law. Philip is the editor of the Legal Legislative Update and does consultation with schools on legal, legislative and HR issues. He also oversees and administers the LDRP program. He has taught U.S. Government and Civics to middle and high school students in Christian schools. Most recently, he has been a lecturer in undergraduate and graduate programs teaching ethics, nonprofit law and education law. He is twice a graduate of Liberty University with an undergraduate degree in Education and a Juris Doctorate degree from Liberty University School of Law. He has studied theology and law at the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary and is admitted to the bar of Colorado. Philip and his wife, Heather, are outnumbered as they have three children, a dog, and a cat. Heather and Philip met in fifth grade in the Christian school they attended.
Email Phone 202.573.7776
Jay McCurry
National Director for State Advocacy
Dr. Jay McCurry currently serves as ACSI's Director for State Advocacy, a position in which he works with educational leaders across the United States promoting school choice, religious liberty, regulations, and the common good. He has served in administrative leadership at ACSI accredited schools since 2004. He holds a Doctor of Education degree in Educational Leadership from Oakland City University, a Doctorate in Christian Education from Pillsbury College and Seminary, a Master of Arts degree in Education from Oral Roberts University, and a Bachelor of Science degree in Human Relations from Southern Nazarene University. Dr. McCurry is a Paul Harris Fellow through Rotary International and he is the author of Lead Like a King: Leadership Secrets of One of the World's Greatest Rulers. Jay and his wife Kelly have been married for 23 years, have four daughters, and reside in Tulsa, Oklahoma. You can follow Jay on LinkedIn, Truth Social, and Instagram.
Email Phone: 719.867.0182
Rebecca VanDeMark
Public Policy & Legal Affairs Assistant
Rebecca VanDeMark currently serves as ACSI's Public Policy and Legal Affiars Assistant. She has served as a High School History and Government teacher for nearly ten years with several ACSI accredited schools. Rebecca is passionate about raising up High School students to be leaders in their generations, specifically in the areas of Public Policy and Law. Rebecca holds a Master of Public Administration degree from Regent University, a graduate law certificate from American University's Washington College of Law, a Bachelors of Arts from Cedarville University and has also completed additional graduate coursework in the Master of Legal Studies program from West Virginia University. She is currently pursuing her Doctorate in Public Policy and Law at Liberty University. Rebecca is the author of seven books including, Praying through Lyme Disease, which has been translated into ten different languages. You can connect with Rebecca on LinkedIn and Instagram.
Email Phone: 719.867.0138