CHARLESTON — West Virginia Attorney General Patrick Morrisey joined an 18-state coalition urging the U.S. Supreme Court to support religious liberty when considering the use of public funds for private schools.
The coalition’s recent brief argues that if taxpayer dollars can be used to fund nonreligious, private schools, then religious schools should also be eligible for public funding.
“Parents have the freedom to choose where their children go to school, particularly when they’re paying tuition,” Attorney General Morrisey said. “It’s only fair that families who practice a religion of their choice get the same freedom. Discrimination against schools that teach religious doctrine is simply discrimination against religious schools.”
Many of the states that joined the brief partner with private schools to empower parents to make the educational choices they think best fit their families. The details of these partnerships vary, but the states do not condition a school’s participation on its religiousness.
Likewise, the coalition states are united in recognizing religious and nonreligious schools as valid educational partners.
The attorneys general contend that openness to partnering with religious schools furthers their states’ goal of providing an array of education choices. It also protects their citizens’ constitutional rights.
West Virginia joined the Arkansas-led brief with Alabama, Arizona, Georgia, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Ohio, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas and Utah.