Document Type
Brief
Case Name
John Woolard v. John Thurmond
Publication Date
10-30-2024
Abstract
CASE NO. 24-4291
John Woolard v. John Thurmond
On Appeal from the United States District Court for the Eastern District of California
Case No. 2:23-CV-02305-JAM-JDP
From the Summary of Argument
As part of California’s diverse array of education options, homeschooling parents may choose to enroll their children in independent-study charter schools, which work with parents to develop custom curriculum for their children’s unique educational needs. The plaintiffs did just that here and enrolled their children in Blue Ridge Academy and Visions in Education, both independent-study charter schools. Unfortunately, not all parents are able to avail themselves of this opportunity because California law bars otherwise publicly available funds from being used to purchase religious curricula. What’s more, California allows supervising teachers at these charter schools to deny credit to, or even expel, students who include religious themes in their coursework. These prohibitions run afoul of the First Amendment.
Recommended Citation
Garnett, Nicole Stelle; Shapiro, Ilya; and Rosenberger, Tim, "Brief of Amici Curiae Manhattan Institute and Notre Dame Education Law Project in Support of Plaintiffs-Appellants and Reversal" (2024). Court Briefs. 97.
https://scholarship.law.nd.edu/sct_briefs/97
Included in
Courts Commons, Education Commons, First Amendment Commons, Religion Commons
Comments
The Notre Dame Education Law Project seeks to enhance civil society, promote educational opportunity, and protect religious liberty by supporting educational pluralism through research, scholarship, and legal advocacy.
This case interests amici because it highlights an ongoing problem with state provisions which violate the First Amendment’s nondiscrimination mandate. This case also interests amici because they work to promote educational freedom, particularly in the context of the fundamental right to religious liberty.