While freedom of religion faces many threats, we can be grateful that in Australia parents still have the choice of sending their children to faithful Christian schools.

In the United States, however, the Supreme Court’s recent ruling on Oklahoma Statewide Charter School Board v. Drummond has made those choices a little more difficult for parents.

Charter Schools are independent schools that can receive public funding. After the Oklahoma Charter School Board approved a Catholic school, St Isidore’s, for charter status, the Oklahoma supreme court barred the arrangement specifically because of St Isidore’s religious character.

The case went to the United States Supreme Court where the Charter Board was assisted by our friends at Alliance Defending Freedom.

After Justice Amy Coney Barrett recused herself from the decision, it ended up locked at 4-4 and the state’s judgement remains in place.

ADF’s Lead Counsel Jim Campbell said of the decision:

“Oklahoma parents and children are better off with more educational choices, not fewer. While the Supreme Court’s order is disappointing for educational freedom, the 4-4 decision does not set precedent, allowing the court to revisit this issue in the future.”

The U.S. Supreme Court has been clear that when the government creates programs and invites groups to participate, it can’t single out religious groups for exclusion, and we will continue our work to protect this vital freedom for parents and students.”

Religious freedom is not just about protecting church services. This fundamental freedom, as expressed in Article 18 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, includes the liberty of parents to ensure the religious and moral education of their children in conformity with their own convictions.

Australia’s school funding system, while not perfect, does not exclude Catholic schools and independent Christian schools. Not only does this system remove a significant part of the burden of education from the state, it allows genuine choice for parents who wish to educate their children in a faith-based school.

HRLA assists Christian schools across Australia to ensure that their freedom to operate and educate in accordance with their faith is protected.