Case Study Agostini Vs. Felton - 825 Words

Kolbe Perez and Kevin Smith Mr. Falcone Government 8 December 2016 Agostini vs. Felton Summary of Facts of the Case: The federal district court ruled against New York City about the appeal to allow public school teachers to provide instruction to students in parochial schools. The Court interpreted the Establishment Clause as a strict separation between religion and government affairs. The parochial school board, and some parents brought this case to the Supreme Court to seek review. The outcome of the suit concluded with a 5-4 decision. The court stated that money could be funded by federal programs to provide aid to challenged students in parochial schools without defying the Establishment Clause. Reflection of the Historical Timeframe as It Relates to the Issue: Of the more than thirty five million American school aged children in the late 1990s, twenty million attended public schools.Experts estimate more than half of parents would have enrolled their students in private schools if they could afford the cost. Even parochial schools that charged lower yearly tuition rates of several thousand dollars were still too expensive for middle and working American families. These families supported the idea of receiving vouchers to get a discount on school tuition. As the voucher concept became more popular, its opponents made their views widely known in courts, the media, and political forums. School choice as an issue was hotly debated throughout the decade. Constitutional