Page 6 - Amy Carson News Today

And a great education. we couldnt have asked for anything better for her. >> bible study was a part and parcel of her daily curriculum, right? thats how every day -- you can understand then someone who might be agnostic or atheist and is a taxpayer, theyre watching this and saying, geez, im unsettled at the idea that my tax dollars are going for amys daughter to receive religious training. and you would say what to them? >> you would only go to a school like that if thats what your beliefs were....

At my website smerconish.com where we were asking should states be required to fund religious education. heres the result. wow, how decisive was that? 93 to 7%. thats probably not the way this is going to turn out in the supreme court of the united states. the litigant that you met, amy carson, is widely expected to be successful in her battle against the state of maine. so well see next june or july when the court issues its opinion in that case. social media reaction from tonights program incl...

Charter schools? that really seems to be driving both the advocacy and concerns people have in this case. >> it certainly is not driving our advocacy, and this case certainly will not open the door to religious charter schools. charter schools, after all, are public schools. what this case is about is whether when government makes a benefit that parents -- available that parents can use at private schools, whether it can allow parents to select any private school they want, anywhere in the natio...

But the supreme court is focused on a couple school said and a unique program that only exists in maine. the questions could redefine fundamental american principles like separation of church and state as well as religious liberty. you see, parts of maine are so whirled that they dont have public schools, and in that case, the state will pay tuition at private schools. that could include schools afiltiated with private religion. my next guest, amy carson, sent her daughter to her alma mater, but...

>> counsellor, why is that not a violation of separation of church and state? >> well, the program here isnt funding schools. its funding families, and its allowing families to decide whether -- where to use that money. and currently, parents can choose schools, public schools in neighboring school districts. they can choose private schools. they can choose schools in state or out of state, and the state routinely paid for kids to go to some of the most elite blue blood prep schools in the count...

But the money cannot be used to send children to sectarian schools, defined by the state as those that promote a particular faith or belief system and

The U.S. Supreme Court grappled once again with the issue of church and state. As John Yang reports, Wednesday’s arguments about whether taxpayer funds can be used to pay tuition at religious schools in Maine comes on the heels of recent cases in which the justices sided with religious freedom advocates.

At issue in the case is whether the state, which pays for some students to attend non-sectarian private schools, should also pay tuition for students to attend religious schools.

At issue in the case is whether the state, which pays for some students to attend non-sectarian private schools, should also pay tuition for students to attend religious schools.

At issue in the case is whether the state, which pays for some students to attend nonsectarian private schools, should also pay tuition for students to attend religious schools.