The Supreme Court dictates that states cannot differentiate between financing private academies filling gaps in public school availability and religious church schools not required to fill such gaps. If this stands up to the smell test, all schools receiving public money should have to conform to all curriculum, testing, medical, safety, housing, social and financial audit requirements of public schools. They must teach academic science, not “Biblical science.” They must not teach racial superiority or deficiency.  They must not teach that religious morals should become public laws. And if such religious schools classify their staffs as ministers, they then do not qualify to receive public funds.

If the teachers are ministers, then it is a church, not a school. But could public payment to school ministers lead to payments to church ministers, as it does in some other countries? How about the cost of school building construction and maintenance?   Followed by a theocratic correction to the Constitution?

Assuming it is not a major detour for the school buses, I have no problem with picking up and dropping off students at church schools like we also do to/from day care facilities before & after school hours to help working parents.

However, as a former public school history teacher and history museum director, I do not think it is possible to teach history without talking about religion as a motivating factor in at least half of major events in history. But speaking in historical fashion does not require proselytizing for any particular religion. And I once took a course in Bible as literature in a major state university.

Many years ago I heard of a new school construction. It included an enclosed walkway across the property line to a religious school on the next lot. Religious courses were just scheduled into the class schedule of students wishing them.

Harvey Versteeg

Augusta