USED Issues Guidance on Participation of Religious Organizations in Federal Education Grants
On August 7, Secretary DeVos released new guidance
suggesting state and local governments must consider religious and nonreligious
organizations equally when reviewing applications for subgrants of federal
education funding programs. The guidance also creates a federal process for
individuals and organizations to file discrimination complaints if they feel
they have missed out on education benefits because of religious affiliation.
This move by USED is one of the first to cite the recent Supreme Court ruling
in Espinoza v. Montana Department of Revenue as basis for potentially
extending public education benefits to religious schools. (The guidance
document is here;
a Department press release is here;
read EdWeek coverage here.)