A group of California parents filed a petition with the U.S. Supreme Court on August 20, asking the justices to take up their case against a state charter school policy that bars religious materials from publicly funded independent study programs. The case, Woolard v. Thurmond, argues that California allows homeschooling families to select their own curriculum and receive state funds, but strips that funding and academic credit the moment a family's materials turn out to be religious.
The petition asks the Court to reverse a Ninth Circuit ruling that upheld the policy. A decision on whether the justices will hear the case could come as soon as this fall, and the outcome could affect how other states structure similar homeschool funding programs.