Ohio has introduced a new program using public funds to support private Christian schools through a loophole that is raising constitutional concerns.
The state has allocated $4.9 million in grants for religious school construction, an option called "school choice," benefiting private schools linked to the conservative Center for Christian Virtue (CCV), reported the Associated Press.
Through a loophole, grants aimed to address public school capacity issues created by Ohio's universal voucher program, will help families pay for private school tuition that includes religious-based institutions.
Critics, such as non-profit Americans United for Separation of Church and State (AUSCS), argue that this direct funding to religious schools violates the separation of church and state clause in the U.S. Constitution.
"The religious freedom of taxpayers is violated when their taxes are forcibly taken from them and devoted to religious instruction of a faith to which those taxpayers do not subscribe," Alex Luchenitser, the associate legal director of the AUSCS, told the news outlet.
Supporters for the funding, such as CCV, argue that the program addresses demand for religious education. President-elect Donald Trump, a supporter of school choice, framed it as a counter or alternative to a perceived leftist indoctrination of "wokeness" that is being taught in public schools, reported the Associated Press.
The program has gained traction in the state with the support of the Ohio legislature and others throughout the nation. The U.S. is currently experiencing a surge in the growth of Christian schools. Of the 33 states with private school programs, 12 allow any student to apply for public money to subsidize private, religious or home-school education, reported the Associated Press.
