A group of Christian parents in California has filed a lawsuit against two publicly funded charter schools, Blue Ridge Academy in Southern California and Visions of Education in Northern California, alleging religious discrimination and a violation of their constitutional rights. The parents, represented by lawyers from the First Liberty law firm and King & Spalding, claim that they were banned from using faith-based curricula in a publicly funded homeschooling program and, in one instance, one family was even expelled for doing so.
The charter schools in question offer an “independent study” program that promotes “individualized and inclusive learning.” However, the lawsuit alleges that there is a “glaring exception” when it comes to faith-based learning materials. The parents assert that they sought to use high-quality curricula that adhered to state standards while reflecting their faith-based worldview but were consistently denied this option.
Justin Butterfield, Deputy General Counsel for First Liberty, stated, “Our clients simply want to be able to choose curricula that fits their families’ needs without facing religious discrimination. These families love their charter schools and the opportunities those schools provide for families to educate their children in a way that fits the families’ needs.”
The charter schools cited a state law that prohibits the teaching of “sectarian and denominational doctrine” as their reason for denying the parents’ choice of educational materials. This denial extended to refusing to give credit and accept sample work from students using faith-based curricula or those reflecting religious perspectives.
However, the legal team representing the parents argues that such religious discrimination is unconstitutional under federal law. They reference a Supreme Court case, Carson v. Makin, which established that when the government provides a benefit, such as parent-directed educational funding, it cannot exclude families solely because they choose to use that benefit for a religious education. The Supreme Court’s decision in Carson v. Makin concerned a case in Maine, where the state was found to be in violation of the Free Exercise Clause by excluding students who attended religious schools from a government program for which they were otherwise qualified.
Ethan Davis, a partner at King & Spalding who is leading the litigation, stated, “Religious families are entitled to the same educational benefits as everyone else.”
The lawsuit has been filed in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of California. Fox News Digital reached out to Blue Ridge Academy and Visions of Education for their response but did not receive a reply at the time of publication.
