Home » » U.S. Supreme Court » An Education In Religion

An Education In Religion

© Gina D. Gipson

The United States Supreme Court is in the midst of deciding what some describe as a landmark or watershed, if not contentious case. I'll give you contentious; landmark; well that's a stretch, especially when compared to the likes of Brown vs. Board of Education. But it has certainly stimulated robust debate. Cleveland, Ohio takes the spotlight for its efforts in addressing public education. That system has been plagued with numerous problems, including low morale and low academic performance.

The state's answer to the dilemma was, in part, to provide a taxpayer supported voucher system, where students and parents are given the 'choice' to enroll in a private school - most of them steeped in religion. The bottom line result was that the vast majority of students who chose the voucher route ended up in parochial schools, most of them Catholic (90% of the private parochial schools there are Catholic).

Where a minor is educated is solely a choice for his parents. The educator, along with the parents, has an obligation to see that the minor is educated in a safe, encouraging nurturing environment. Well, ideally anyway. How that education is funded presents a whole new host of challenges.

Obviously, financially able parents make the public versus private school choice on a regular basis and it draws scant attention. But what if low income parents want to send their offspring to a private parochial school? This one certainly tugs at the heartstrings. As the compassionate people that some of us are (in deed, not just as a cutesy slogan), we want the have-nots to have the same opportunities as the haves. Especially when it comes to educating our children.

I would suggest to you that in many, if not most of the school districts involved in this type of voucher program, the neediest of the needy are left behind without any help - not insignificantly because the private schools can be discriminatory. They are also not necessarily bound by the same requirements as public school educators. And of course, the vast majority of students in this country still attend public schools, and the government's primary obligation is necessarily to those institutions.

Interestingly, all of that is a backdrop to what the Court must determine. And that is whether or not Ohio's taxpayers' support for a Catholic education, essentially, conforms with the First Amendment's Establishment Clause. More particularly, does that support unnecessarily entangle Church and state? The High Court's decision is by no means preordained and precedent provides no clear guidance. Especially when the Justices have sufficiently and effectively blurred the line as of late.

The copyright of the article An Education In Religion in U.S. Supreme Court is owned by . Permission to republish An Education In Religion in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.