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Charter Schools Are Not ‘State Actors,’ And SCOTUS Should Have Said So
Charter schools need more autonomy than district schools if American families are going to have real choice in education.
The Supreme Court deadlocked on Thursday in St. Isidore of Seville Catholic Virtual School v. Drummond. The tie is a loss for low-income families, who are the primary beneficiaries of charter schools. The Supreme Court’s decision not only calls into question the rights of faith-based organizations to compete in the charter school marketplace, it also leaves intact a recent ruling holding that charter schools are legally equivalent to traditional district schools. Charter schools need more autonomy than district schools if American families are going to have real choice in education.
Although the justices did not issue an opinion, the oral argument revealed that they were split on whether faith-based organizations could operate charter schools. But the religion question hinges on a more fundamental issue — whether charter schools are private organizations or “state actors,” the legal parlance for governmental or quasi-governmental entities that are treated as the government for legal purposes.
If faith-based charter schools are private entities, then they are entitled to the free exercise of religion, and the state could not discriminate against them on the basis of religion any more than it could discriminate against religious organizations that contract with the city to find homes for foster children. If, on the other hand, charter schools are state actors, then they cannot operate as faith-based schools for the same reason that traditional public schools cannot be religious: state actors must be secular.
Pursuit of Happiness
The Rise of Latino America
In The Rise of Latino America, Hernandez & Kotkin argue that Latinos, who are projected to become America’s largest ethnic group, are a dynamic force shaping the nation’s demographic, economic, and cultural future. Far from being a marginalized group defined by oppression, Latinos are integral to America’s story. They drive economic growth, cultural evolution, and workforce vitality. Challenges, however, including poverty, educational disparities, and restrictive policies, threaten their upward mobility. Policymakers who wish to harness Latino potential to ensure national prosperity and resilience should adopt policies that prioritize affordability, safety, and economic opportunity over ideological constraints.
“Project Hail Mary’s” Success: A Story You Can Believe In
The film features a weak, defeated man who turns from a coward to a hero, from selfishness to sacrifice, and from loneliness to friendship.
Is America Good Enough for Wendell Berry?
Genuine traditions and stories can prevent their inheritors from recklessly chasing the future simply because it’s the next thing.
Rediscovering History as the Story of Liberty
History can be a way to center ourselves today and renew the institutions and beliefs that are central to that history and its legacy.
James Q. Wilson and the Crisis of Our Time
"When we profess to believe in deterrence and to value justice, but refuse to spend the energy and money required to produce either, we are sending a clear signal that we think that safe streets, unlike all other great public goods, can be had on the cheap."
