State Funding of Religious Education
Overview of the First Amendment’s Establishment Clause
The U.S. Supreme Court has construed the Establishment Clause of the First Amendment
(prohibiting government from making any law “respecting establishment of religion”), in
general, to mean that government is prohibited from sponsoring or financing religious instruction
or indoctrination.
In the context of public aid to religious schools, the court has drawn a constitutional
distinction between aid that flows directly to sectarian schools and aid that benefits such schools
indirectly as the result of voucher or tax benefit programs. It is important to note …
