The two federal lawsuits are part of a recent wave of such cases nationwide, encouraged by a Supreme Court seen as friendly to them California has long had a hard ban preventing public school funding from going toward any sectarian instruction or sectarian schools. But now families in at least two federal lawsuits in California, encouraged by a Supreme Court that has been friendly to many religious liberty cases, are challenging that prohibition, which they argue discriminates against religious families. Article 9 of the California constitution forbids any public dollars from supporting any sectarian or denominational school, and it forbids any sectarian doctrine or instruction being taught in any public schools including charter schools, either directly or indirectly. Advertisement Despite that rule, families have found ways to get both public school funding and religious instruction, as the San Diego Union-Tribune reported last week. They do so by home-schooling through certain independent-study charter schools, which give them thousands of dollars a year in funding for educational and enrichment services, and then simultaneously enrolling in religious hybrid instruction programs. Education Public school, religious instruction: How local charter students are getting religious schooling May 12, 2024 However, these charter schools and religious […]

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