SCOTUS: Public Funds Can Go To Maine Religious Schools

    Photo: Pool/Getty Images [via Slate]

    The Facts

    • On Tues., SCOTUS ruled 6-3 that a tuition program in the state of Maine must allow public funds to go to religious schools.

    • The program pays private-school tuition for students in areas that lack public schools, but contained a nonsectarian clause that excluded religious schools.


    The Spin

    Right narrative

    With parents understandably withdrawing their children from public schools in droves, this is the biggest win for school choice advocates in a long time. Some parents prefer non-sectarian private schools or homeschooling, while others prefer religion-based schools, and this ruling affords the latter the opportunity to make those decisions for their own children.

    Left narrative

    SCOTUS' new conservative majority has effectively declared that the separation of church and state - a central pillar of the US Constitution - is unconstitutional. The consequences could be dire, including expulsions of teachers and students who don't comply with Christianity for starters. American's tax dollars could now potentially fund schools that force students to partake in religious activities and worship.


    Political split

    LEFT

    RIGHT

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