US supreme court hears arguments on religious schools and LGBTQ+ discrimination

Summarised from 2 outlets · Updated 3 Nov, 16:33 · Archive

The US supreme court is hearing arguments on a challenge by Catholic preschools in Colorado over state funding conditions.

The US supreme court is hearing arguments on Tuesday in St Mary Catholic Parish v Roy, a case challenging Colorado's universal preschool programme. The state's 2020 ballot measure offers 15 hours per week of state-funded preschool to all 4-year-olds, worth over $6,000 annually per family. The programme is open to public, private, secular and religious schools.

Two Catholic preschools have brought the challenge, arguing they have been excluded because they refuse to enrol children with LGBTQ+ parents. In 2023, the Catholic archdiocese in Colorado ordered its schools not to enrol students if their parents do not adhere to its beliefs on sexual orientation and gender identity. UPI reports that the lawsuit says students across 34 Catholic preschools are being denied access to the programme.

Colorado says the Catholic schools remain welcome to participate but only if they comply with nondiscrimination requirements that apply to all other publicly funded preschools. These require schools to provide an equal opportunity to enrol regardless of race, ethnicity, religion, sexual orientation, gender identity, income or disability. The Catholic schools argue that making funding contingent on accepting this agreement amounts to unlawful religious discrimination under the first amendment. A lower appeals court ruled for the state but acknowledged that the highest court has previously held that states cannot categorically withhold funds from religious institutions.

How it is being reported

• Supreme Court hearing arguments in Colorado religious school caseThe U.S. Supreme Court is hearing arguments on Tuesday in a case over Colorado's universal preschool program brought by Catholic schools.UPI · 3 Nov, 16:16
• US supreme court to hear arguments in Catholic preschools’ LGBTQ+ exclusion caseA decision could reshape the relationship between religious freedom and nondiscrimination laws in the US The US supreme court will hear arguments on Tuesday over a challenge brought by two Catholic preschools in Colorado , arguing that they should be admitted to the state’s free education system despite their rejection of children with LGBTQ+ parents. A decision in the case, St Mary Catholic Parish v Roy , could reshape the relationship between religious freedom and nondiscrimination laws in the US. Continue reading...Guardian World · 3 Nov, 14:17

In this story: US Supreme Court · Colorado · St Mary Catholic Parish · Catholic archdiocese in Colorado

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