Creative Commons Having been raised Baptist and then Methodist, I understand how important religion, especially Christianity, can be to many people. Furthermore, I have been in the public school system for 14 years, starting in kindergarten and continuing through college. I can absolutely understand why many parents choose to send their children to private institutions, including religious ones. Public schools are often scraping for pennies and teachers can range from being sages to downright incompetent. However, the constitution makes it clear that “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion.” Therefore, the Supreme Court’s recent 5-4 decision in Espinoza v. Montana Department of Revenue (which allows states to fund private religious schools ) should give us pause because it undermines the separation of church by disproportionately favoring Christian institutions. Montana had a program that provides scholarships to low-income students seeking to attend private schools. The Department of Revenue barred those funds from being used for sectarian schools until a county judge reversed that decision. In 2018, the Montana Supreme Court invalidated the program because their constitution bars religious education institutions from using public money. Chief Justice John Roberts wrote that while the court found the restrictions on […]
