Why two Maine schools slated to receive public funds in the wake of the Supreme Court decision in Carson v. Makin will probably refuse to take the money. Last week we reported that the U.S. Supreme Court struck down a Maine law that blocked private religious schools from receiving taxpayer-funded aid. Carson v. Makin says…
Category: Education
Count the Cost: The Hidden Dangers of Government Funding of Religious Education
The integrity of the private parochial school system is at stake. Religious schools would, through their agreement to accept requirements for scholarships, make themselves vulnerable for regulation to the point that they have nothing unique to offer the world.
Court says Maine Must Pay for Religious Schools: A Trojan Horse for the Culture Wars?
This morning the Supreme Court ruled 6-3 that a Maine program that provides tuition assistance for parents to send their children to private schools cannot exclude religious schools. Carson v. Makin, 6/21/2022 https://www.supremecourt.gov/opinions/21pdf/20-1088_dbfi.pdf The Court said the current program’s religious exclusion violated the Free Exercise Clause and that neutral public funding would not violate the…
LGBTQ+ Students Sue to Eliminate Title IX Religious Exemption
A group of current and former LGBTQ+ students have sued the U.S. Department of Education to either force their colleges, universities, and seminaries to change their policies or to stop providing federal financial assistance.
Did the Supreme Court open the door to regulation of religious schools?
With the death of state Blaine Amendments this week, religious schools that welcome state money might find that they are now subject to regulation that may undermine their very reason for existence.
Could a Supreme Court ruling requiring states to give religious schools voucher money kill voucher programs?
Harvard Law professor Mark Tushnet argues in an interview published in Harvard Law Today (1/21/2020) that if the Supreme Court requires funding to go to both religious and secular schools, voters might reject voucher programs altogether.
Dept. of Education Releases Guidance on Prayer and Religious Expression in Public Schools
Here are the key points of the Dept. of Education’s Guidance on Constitutionally Protected Prayer and Religious Expression in Public Schools.
Methodist denomination files suit alleging SMU covertly severed relationship with church
The United Methodist Church, via a regional conference, has sued for injunctive relief, alleging that Southern Methodist University (SMU) “covertly” modified its bylaws to eliminate church control over the 12,000-student Texas institution.
9th Cir: Catholic School Teacher Fired for Requesting Time for Cancer Treatment May Pursue ADA Discrimination Claim
On December 17, the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals ruled 2-1 that the ministerial exception does not bar a teacher in a Catholic school who was fired because she needed time off work for surgery and chemotherapy from pursuing a claim under the Americans with Disability Act.
In six states, religious day care centers avoid regulation at peril of children
Indiana is one of six states, including Alabama, Missouri, Florida, North Carolina, and Virginia that allow religious day care centers to operate without license or regular inspections. Religious groups in these states have fended off litigation by arguing that the separation of church and state concept prohibits the government from regulating such institutions.