Burr Statement on Supreme Court Ruling on Tuition Assistance to Cover Maine Religious Schools

Today, Senator Richard Burr (R-NC), Ranking Member of the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP), released the following statement after the U.S. Supreme Court ruled 6-3 in Carson v. Makin that religious schools cannot be excluded from Maine’s private-school tuition assistance program, which helps students in underserved areas:

“Today’s ruling by the U.S. Supreme Court upholds the First Amendment right to free exercise of religion. Excluding students from receiving state tuition assistance because they choose to attend a religious private school is not only unfair, it’s unconstitutional. I applaud the court’s ruling as it will give parents the opportunity to send their child to a school that not only meets the curriculum standards of the state, but also aligns with their personal religious beliefs.”