Blue state ban forbidding religious colleges from dual-credit program violates Constitution: lawsuit

A radical of Christian parents has filed a suit against Minnesota authorities officials implicit an amendment to a authorities dual-enrollment programme that bars immoderate spiritual universities from offering precocious schoolhouse students escaped on-campus assemblage credits.

The lawsuit, filed May 24 successful the U.S. District Court for the District of Minnesota, alleges the authorities of Minnesota violated the U.S. Constitution by amending Minnesota's Postsecondary Enrollment Options (PSEO) programme to unopen retired institutions that "require a religion connection from a secondary pupil seeking to enroll successful a postsecondary course" oregon "base immoderate portion of the admittance determination based connected a student’s race, creed, ethnicity, disability, sex oregon intersexual predisposition oregon spiritual beliefs oregon affiliations."

Minnesota's PSEO programme rolled retired successful 1985 to connection precocious schoolhouse students the accidental to cod some precocious schoolhouse and assemblage credits astatine nary cost. Money from the programme helps wage for tuition and people materials.

Mark and Melina Loe and Dawn Erickson utilized PSEO funds for their older children astatine two Christian schools that support spiritual standards but accidental their children successful precocious schoolhouse present are not capable to enactment successful the programme due to the fact that of the caller restriction, according to the suit.

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Mark and Melina Loe are alleging a usurpation of their spiritual state implicit Minnesota's caller amendment to its PSEO program. (Courtesy Mark and Melinda Loe)

The amendment passed successful the Minnesota legislature past period on enactment lines, with lone 1 Republican successful the authorities Senate supporting it. It was signed by Democrat Gov. Tim Walz connected the aforesaid time the suit was filed and goes into effect connected July 1.

With the assistance of attorneys astatine the Becket Fund for Religious Liberty, the parents are alleging violations of the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution’s Free Exercise and Establishment Clauses arsenic good arsenic the Equal Protection Clause’s prohibition connected favoritism based connected religion.

"The PSEO programme guarantees each students adjacent accidental to prosecute fantabulous academics astatine a schoolhouse of their choice," the Loes said successful a statement. "It gave our older children a caput commencement connected assemblage successful Christ-centered communities astatine Northwestern and Crown. All we privation is for the remainder of our children to person the aforesaid accidental to beryllium educated successful an situation consistent with their spiritual beliefs."

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The Minnesota legislature passed the amendment to PSOE successful May on enactment lines with lone 1 Republican successful the authorities Senate supporting it. (Google Earth)

Crown College and the University of Northwestern-St. Paul, the Christian universities wherever the precocious schoolers wanted to attend, are besides named arsenic plaintiffs.

Corbin Hoornbeek, president astatine the University of Northwestern-St. Paul, said his assemblage is "the largest PSEO supplier successful Minnesota" and that the instauration "desires to proceed helping on-campus PSEO students flourish successful mentation for the adjacent section of their world journey."

"We’re hopeful that the tribunal volition uphold our quality to bash so, conscionable similar immoderate different Minnesota schoolhouse is permitted to do," helium added.

Corbin Hoornbeek, president astatine the University of Northwestern-St. Paul, said his assemblage is "the largest PSEO supplier successful Minnesota." (Google Maps)

"Minnesota politicians conscionable slammed the doorway connected thousands of kids successful their authorities who privation to get a caput commencement connected college, each due to the fact that the schools they privation to be stock their spiritual beliefs," Becket elder counsel Diana Thomson said successful a statement. "That determination is not lone patently anti-religious; it is besides against the law."

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"The Minnesota Department of Education has received the lawsuit, and we are presently reviewing it," a spokesperson told Fox News Digital.