Article author:
Associated Press
David Sharp
Augusta, Maine (AP) — Religious schools do what they want when the Supreme Court permits them to participate in state lesson programs. Got it.
However, the State Justice Secretary said the ruling was meaningless unless the school was willing to comply with the same non-discrimination laws as other private schools participating in the program.
On Tuesday, the Supreme Court ruled that religious schools cannot be excluded from programs that offer tuition for private education in towns without public schools. However, religious schools did not take long to enjoy victory before learning new hurdles.
Attorney General Aaron Frey has a policy that both Christian schools involved in the proceedings discriminate against students and staff based on sexual orientation or gender identity. , A fierce proceeding.
"The education provided by the schools in question here is different from public education. They promote a single religion to eliminate all other religions, gay and He refuses to accept transgender children and is openly discriminating against hiring teachers and staff, "he said in a statement.
There were no immediate comments from two schools, the Temple Academy in Waterville or the Bangor Christian School.
Michael Bindas, senior lawyer at the Legal Training and Research Institute, said the Attorney General has not paid close attention to the Supreme Court's commitment to religious freedom in recent years.
"It was the false opinion of the Maine Attorney General that involved the state in five proceedings over 30 years and culminated in the Supreme Court's decision against the state. I did, "Bindas said Thursday. statement. "The current Attorney General does not seem to have learned any lessons from that experience."
Further if the state really intends to use state law to create another obstacle. The proceedings will be inevitable, said Carol Conley, executive director of the Christian Civic League in Maine.
The first proceedings by the three families seeking reimbursement to attend a Christian school date back to 2018, but go back further.
The state has always tried to maintain a solid line between the church and the state by giving refunds to private schools, but not to religious schools. The goal was to provide rural students without public high schools with the same education as public school students.
In Maine, 29 private schools participated in the program and enrolled 4,526 students, officials said. Private schools that meet state standards can get about $ 12,000 in taxpayer funding per student.
The Supreme Court's 6-3 decision may promote the promotion of school choices in some of the 18 states that do not direct taxpayer money to private religious education. This was considered affirmation of the state already having a voucher program open to religious schools.
However, all state-educated schools have a main human rights law that prohibits discrimination against anyone on the grounds of race, gender, sexual orientation, ethnicity, or disability. You have to comply, Frey said.
The last parliamentary parliament strengthened legislation that clarified the scope of Maine human rights law in education. Democratic Governor Janet Mills signed the bill last year.
The latest law, sponsored by Democratic Senator Craig Hickman, the first openly homosexual African-American to serve in both Houses of Parliament, says, "Gender, especially, Sexual orientation or gender identity. "
Meanwhile, the American Christian Schools Association has dispelled concerns about discrimination against the LGBTQ community.
"We do not consider it discrimination at all. We have a set of principles and beliefs that we believe will lead to prosperity, so to speak, a good life, and share that vision. We are affiliated with our parents, "said Jamison Coppola, a spokesman for the association.
Plaintiffs' chiefs, Dave and Amy Carson, were Conley's students when they were principals of the Bangor Christian School.
Conley said the Attorney General "placed a gauntlet" at the religious school, but said the case law favored the school.
Dave Carson said his family would not benefit from the ruling because his daughter is already a junior at Hason University. But he said he thinks the state is not right to try to set up obstacles.
"As long as it's an accredited school, students should be able to go anywhere," he said. "You teach the basics. If you also want to take a Bible class, it's a parent's choice, not someone in Augusta."
Attorney General said the Attorney General was the parent in the proceedings. He said that "calm remorse" should be done on the best way to balance the rights of the state with the interests of the state's non-discrimination.
"It is possible to develop policies that respect the concerns of both LGBTQ rights advocates and religious freedom advocates, but elected civil servants are serious about their mission. Only if. "He said.
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Boston Associated Press writer Colin Binkley contributed to this report.
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