The Supreme Court hands a victory to the Trump administration and parents in a decision on aid to religious schools.
In a huge win for backers of school choice including Education Secretary Betsy DeVos, the Supreme Court this week sided with three Montana families who asked the court to declare that excluding religious schools from student aid programs is unconstitutional.
The case could have major implications for the use of public dollars to pay for religious schools. At the White House, Press Secretary Kayleigh McEnany said that the ruling removes “one of the ‘biggest obstacles’ to better educational opportunities.”
President Donald Trump on Tuesday night tweeted that “Today’s SCOTUS ruling is a historic win for families who want SCHOOL CHOICE NOW!”
Justices held that that not allowing families student aid because their children attended religious schools is a violation of the Free Exercise Clause of the U.S. Constitution. The decision was the 5-4.
Jeanne Allen, the founder and chief executive of the Center for Education Reform said of the ruling….
“The weight that this monumental decision carries is immense, as it’s an extraordinary victory for student achievement, parental control, equality in educational opportunities, and First Amendment rights.”
Attorney General William Barr said that because of the ruling, “a state may no longer disqualify religious schools from scholarships or other programs ‘solely because they are religious.'”