Court rules against funding teacher trainees in Catholic schools

Published: 2004-07-16

WASHINGTON (CNS) -- A new federal court ruling prohibits the national service program AmeriCorps from providing educational vouchers for college tuition or student loans to its teacher trainees who volunteer in Catholic schools, saying it is a violation of the constitutional separation of church and state. U.S. District Court Judge Gladys Kessler ruled July 2 that the Corporation for National and Community Service, which oversees the AmeriCorps program, had "completely blurred" the line between secular and nonsecular activities by providing tuition vouchers to volunteers in religious schools. She sided with the American Jewish Congress, which brought the suit against the federal agency two years ago, charging that federal funds were being used to teach Christian values. "Such direct government involvement with religion crosses the vague but palpable line between permissible and impermissible government action under the First Amendment," Kessler said. The lawsuit against the Corporation for National and Community Service singled out three AmeriCorps grantees, including the University of Notre Dame's Alliance for Catholic Education, known as ACE; the Catholic Network of Volunteer Service; and the Nebraska Volunteer Service Commission. The federal agency was given 60 days to file an appeal against the ruling.

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