U.S. District Judge Solomon Oliver Jr. ruled on Monday that Ohio’s taxpayer-funded school voucher program was unconstitutional as a violation of the constitutional separation of church and state.
Oliver said that not only was there no attempt to guaranteed that taxpayer dollars support only secular educational aspects of the participating school but also that parents do not have a true choice between sending their children to a religious or non-religious school.
“Thus, the program has the effect of advancing religious through government-supported religious indoctrination,” said Oliver.
In his decision, Oliver pointed to the mission statement of a participating Roman Catholic school, St. Patrick School, which states it is “dedicated to the formation of youth according to Catholic traditions.” The majority of students enrolled in Ohio’s school voucher program attend religious schools.
