Friend:

This week, the U.S. Supreme Court turned the separation of church and state on its head, ruling in a 5-4 decision that taxpayers can be forced to fund private religious education. As I wrote in my statement, the Espinoza v. Montana Dept. of Revenue decision is a fundamental violation of religious freedom with far-flung consequences for every American, and has the immediate effect of forcing Montana taxpayers to support a private school voucher program that funds religious education and discrimination.

After the ruling was announced, we were diligent in getting the word out far and wide, including to major news outlets like The Associated Press, The LA Times, The Christian Post, and The Huffington Post.

Now that this ruling has been handed down, what can we do to fight back?

The way forward is clear: Since the Court’s decision only applies where states have voucher programs, we must work harder than ever to oppose all private school voucher programs. Already, Education Secretary Betsy DeVos is latching onto this decision to build momentum for her proposed federally funded private school voucher plan that could divert billions away from our public schools.

If you haven’t yet, please click here to tell the Senate to reject private school vouchers and use public funds for public schools.

Public schools educate 90% of our nation’s students, and they cannot discriminate or impose religious litmus tests. If we ensure that public funds go only to public schools, we can prevent taxpayers from being forced to fund religious education. And AU is continuing to build a broad and diverse movement to fight back against vouchers.

I want to thank you, friend, for everything you do to defend the separation of religion and government. While this ruling is a major setback, I am as confident as ever that, together, we can make certain that our country’s central promise of religious freedom endures.

With hope and determination,