Supreme Court Ruling Could Expand Educational Options

As we previously reported, in Carson v. Makin the U.S. Supreme Court struck down a Maine law that excluded religious schools from a tuition voucher program that subsidizes private secular schools. 

"I would say that this decision puts Missouri's 'Blaine Amendment' in the dustbin of history," stated Mike Hoey, retired executive director of the Missouri Catholic Conference.

Maine currently subsidizes the cost of private schools for students who live in school districts that do not have a public high school. Children who live in these districts are eligible to receive a tuition voucher to attend a nearby public or private school. However, religious schools that otherwise meet all applicable state requirements were specifically excluded from the program.

"The Court's decision is simply saying that if a public school system is going provide grants or vouchers to schools in the private sector, it cannot exclude private religious schools simply because they're religious," Hoey said.

For more on the Carson ruling and Blaine Amendments, see this article from the Catholic Missourian.